President of My Fan Club
by moodyaura
Summary: DISCONTINUED for now at least. I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.
1. chapter titles are hard to think of

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

By the way, while the summary is in Sasuke's POV, the story will be in Sakura's. Just thought I'd give you guys a warning so you won't be like WTF? when you read this. :)

-START!-

The assortment of coins fell from my hand, making a melodic noise of chattering metal. Normally, this would have produced relief in me, seeing how it would have been going into my pockets. Today, however, that was not the case. And why is that, you ask? I stared grimly at the metal compartments of the cash register. The twenties sat tightly in a bundle in the right-most corner. I forced myself to tear my gaze from it back to the customer, lest one of my co-workers (or my customer, who was beginning to stare at me oddly) think I was going to grab it and run out, right then and there.

"Your change is five dollars and sixty five cents. Thank you for coming to MacDonald's." The edges of my mouth curled into a practiced smile- just the right amount of happiness without looking superficial. My hand shut the cash register with an unsatisfied slam. The customer stared at me once before taking their tray and walking off. This was a process repeated more times than I could count during my ten-hour shift in this hell hole of a job. And each time the register opened or closed with a cling, I cursed MacDonald's for being such a fattening, unhealthy, and utterly selfish corporation. There was plenty of money in that stupid thing. Why can't they just let me take some for the Saturdays I give up to work here?

Sighing, I leaned against the counter, feeling my bangs cover a bit of my forehead. Ten hours I work here- ten long, grisly, tedious hours- and all I get from this stupid job was a hell of an ache in my legs and seventy-five dollars. Okay, so that's not that bad for one day, but not worth giving up every single Saturday of my life for. As I saw a customer approach my register, I straightened immediately. My mind formed the same phrase in my head as I spoke it aloud, the same smile on my face: "Welcome to MacDonald's. How may I help you?"

A few hours later, as I trudged home with my poor, abused legs struggling to stand, I thought I needed to find a new job. I didn't live very far from the restaurant, thankfully. But it would've been nice if my dad could pick me up and drop me home... Mentally, I smacked myself. How could I think that? My dad worked on the weekends too and came even later than I did. I shouldn't trouble him with anymore of my problems when he did so much for me. For all of my family. Unknowingly, I felt my mouth tilt downwards.

The rest of my walk home, I couldn't think of coherent thoughts, just silences that seemed to explain so much without saying a single word. The mere thought of my bed felt like heaven to me. But before I could collapse in it in a heap, I had one more final job to do. I tied an apron around my waist. The refrigerator mocked me with its lack of ingredients, and I groaned as I realized my father had forgotten to go grocery shopping. Again. But I was Haruno Sakura- I could make a meal out of anything!

The door to the house opened silently. The presence of my father was unknown to me until he placed a kiss on my cheek. "My, that smells good," he said, ruffling my hair affectionately. Leaning over me, he reached a hand into the pan and scooped a little out to taste. Laughing, I swatted my wooden spoon at him.

"Hey, hey, you're hands are dirty!" He chuckled before disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of running water was heard. My father's name was Haruno Atsushi, meaning "Blooming Field" and "Industrious," in that order. While the name put together didn't make much sense, Atsushi fit my father well. He was a diligent middle-aged man, with white hair and bright green eyes. I always thought his hair was too pale for his age, and I was right. My father had an odd case, in which his hair lost its color very quickly. So, even when he was twenty or so, he looked like an old man. (Well, his hair, anyway.)

I didn't see my father much. He was always somewhere making money. Our nightly dinners were our traditions, a way to keep the bond between us strong. The last thing both of us needed was seeing a stranger in place of a loved one. It was an unpleasant experience, and I didn't wish to feel it again. When my father came back, I set the table. "Ahh," he said as I placed the plate between us, "I can't seem to recognize this- what is it, Sakura?"

"Depends- was that a compliment or an insult?" I asked. He laughed good-naturedly. The relationship between my father and I was rather informal. Some would cringe at the tone I spoke to him with. It was not disrespectful, however; my father had a playful disposition, and took my comments with amusement. There was a great distance between insolence and enjoying someone's company. I stayed on the latter with my father.

"Hmm, then I suppose I will be brave." With a grimace, he poked the food on the plate once, looking at it questioningly. My anger failed me as a laugh escaped my lips. Carefully, my father placed a piece of it into his mouth, chewing slowly. "It is good. How many ingredients did you use this time, Sakura?"

My lip twitched to hold back a smile. "Four," I answered him, "Eggs, Spam, mushrooms, and some cockroaches I found near the stove." From across the table, my father gagged on his food dramatically, placing two hands on his throat, choking. "Otou-san!" I laughed, "Don't joke around like that!" He wiped his mouth with a napkin, eyes twinkling. And so, the rest of the night was filled with good humor.

All thoughts of finding a decent job left me as I laughed the night away with my father, mirth filling me to the brim, replacing the emptiness routine gave me before. It was like usual. And on Monday, I went to school with a smile on my face. I had no idea I would find the job of my dreams that day.

It was halfway through my freshmen year.

* * *

Haha, you like it? Normally, I don't really like SasuSaku. I got sick of it, really. But I had this idea from a while back, and it came to me again with lotsa inspiration, so I had to write it. I guess this chapter's kinda like a prologue, hmm? I bet you're all wondering where the SasuSaku action is. So am I. :P It'll come out soon, promise! Actually, it HAS to be next chapter or you'll all kill me. Anyways, if you liked this for a starting of an AHMAAAZING story, please review! It's the button down there that taunts me in my dreams.

Questions? Comments? Flames? Messages, even? I'll take 'em all! Esp. the messages. I've been DYING for one. I feel so lonely...And it doesn't help with the fact that my grammar is deteriorating. Really bad. *pouts in corner* Screw you, English. :O

-loooooove, Moodyaura. :)


	2. blip

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

It's in Spanish, by the way. The word below. It means "beginning." BTW, Japanese middle schools are until ninth grade, and starts with seventh grade. High School is three years.

-¡COMIENZO!-

I attend Konoha High School for the Gifted and Talented. However, from the majority of the population, I would have renamed it to Konoha High School for the Filthy Rich and Famous. It is an elite private school consisting mainly of the upper-class. There are exceptions to this rule- myself included. There is a scholarship exam that is taken during the third year of middle school, and there, the so called paupers have their chance to come to this prestigious high school.

The summer before my second to last year at my middle school, I became resolved to go there. My father struggled to pay the tuition bill for my tutors. And at the same time, I struggled to memorize the test material to ace the entrance exam. I forgot about my regular school grades and became absorbed in studying. It was here I discovered that I had an uncanny ability to memorize text quickly. I became much more advanced than the rest of my class, even though I had not glanced at my school material at all.

The same school year, I discovered my love for photography. The results came back halfway through my third year. I opened the envelope with shaking hands, my father watching over me, hands on my shoulders. We both cried at my grade: I was in the top two percentile. As a present, my father had bought me a camera, something I had longed for a while. It wasn't an ordinary camera- it was a Canon Digital SLR, the kind that professionals use. It cost the same price as my entrance fee to the exam: eight hundred dollars. Needless to say, it was the last time my father spent so much money on me.

I bring this camera everywhere with me. It's like my diary, and the pictures I take with it are the words I cannot say, the feelings I choose to hide. Although, sometimes, I just take pictures for their aesthetic quality as well. I didn't realize this camera would bring me more luck than I needed.

It was during the fall, when the leaves were still green, but the edges hinted at crimson and orange. We were allowed to eat outside on the campus, as picnic tables were provided for the students and faculty. When freshmen year began, I grew fearful of the dreaded lunch scene. Oh, you know, the new kid that has to sit alone and pick at their lunch, or trips over someone's innocent foot that's stuck out at the right moment and ends up crying in the bathroom. I mean, it's in every single freakin' movie.

However, I was relieved from this horrifying experience. On the first day of school, I was paired with Hyuuga Hinata in lab. We found comfort in each other. Somewhere along the way, during the dissection processes, the frogs, and the chemical burnings, we became friends.

Being the heiress of a multi-millionare company, Hinata sits in the lunchroom table filled with the other important girls. I was asked to sit with her. I waited- it was prejudice, really, and watching too many movies- for their jeers and name-calling. It never came. All I got were cheerful smiles and "Scoot over guys, Sakura's sitting with us!" Apparently, if you're associated with high company you're treated like it too. And, well, they're nice girls, even though most of them are Sasuke fan girls.

It was really easy to forget they were seeing how I see them squeal over him every single morning when he walks into homeroom. (Note the sarcasm.) Did I mention? I share the same class as him. For the next four years. It's not that I hate the guy or anything; I just... don't like him. He didn't make much of a good first impression on me when we introduced ourselves the first day. He doesn't say much at all, in general and when anyone talks to him- kind of like talking to a brick wall. There's an air of arrogance in the way he walks and looks at you. When he does pay attention to you, it's condescending. Just because he lived his life on a silver platter doesn't mean you can treat others like they're worthless.

But, no matter how this icicle of a person's demeanor irritates me, I can't deny the fact that he is good looking. I can see why fan girls swoon over him. There's an aesthetic quality in his face, one that begs for pictures to be taken of. And so, here is where I made my mistake. When inspiration strikes me, I work on instinct- nothing else matters except for that one moment of perfection being captured into a breathless photograph. Before I realized what I was doing, my hands held the camera and a click had gone off.

Thankfully, lunchtime was near its end and most of the girls had sauntered off to the bathroom. The ones remaining were mostly talking amongst themselves and had not noticed my actions. My cheeks flushed at my foolish impulse. "Hey," a girlish voice spoke from next to me. A blue eyed girl stared at my camera, her long blonde hair tied up to a pony tail. Months ago, in the beginning of the year, she had introduced herself as Yamanaka Ino speaking with a bubbly voice and large smile. Now, a slow smirk spread across her lips. "So," she drawled, "You took a picture of Sasuke-kun?" To my horror, I felt my blush deepen. She giggled and shook her head, and said, "Hey, don't be embarrassed. There isn't a girl here who doesn't think he's good looking. So, can I see it?"

Hesitantly, I handed the camera to her. The picture wasn't absolutely brilliant, but it wasn't bad either. Sasuke was standing, one hand on the table near his partially visible lunch tray. The other hand held a milk carton, white with a picture of a cow outlined in red. His head was tilted back, the bump of his Adam's apple like a delicate hill in a field of ivory. The contrast was sharp compared to his raven hair- his bangs casually near his face, the rest spiked back. His eyes were half-closed, lashes elongated. Downwards it trailed to a sharp, aristocratic nose, and stopped at his lips, parted near the opening of the milk carton. Behind him was a tree, spreading out like a wildfire in the sky.

It was random and strange, but it all worked out in the end. I didn't notice Ino gaping until I heard her gasp. "This is so good. He looks great in this. Oh my gosh, you're really good at this photography thing," she cried, pointing a finger at the screen. Curious, Hinata tilted her head over to where Ino was holding my camera. "Hey, Hina-chan, look at what Sakura-chan did! Isn't it amazing?"

"Y-yes, it's very p-pretty," the dark-haired girl stuttered. A moment later she placed a hand over her mouth in realization of her words. As a blush that put mine to shame crawled up Hinata's face, Ino laughed.

"Aww, Hina-chan, she's so cute." Even more embarrassed than before, Hinata ducked her head, her long hair hiding her face. Giggling once more at the shy antics of the heiress, Ino turned to me. "Hey, Sakura-chan, do you think I could have a copy of this picture? Y'know, just print it out or something. It's really great. I love it."

Now it was my turn to turn red. "Sure Ino-san, no problem," I replied. No one had ever asked for one of my photos before. I felt a wide smile spread across my lips. This was great- someone liked my photo so much they wanted it!

"Just call me Ino-chan or something. I feel like a granny when you call me that," the blonde remarked, making a face. She handed my camera back to me. "Oh, anyway, lunch is almost over. We should get to class." The three of us threw out our lunches before walking into the building. I listened to my English teacher, Yuhi Kurenai, lecture on the different types of writing, but I couldn't stop the smile from coming onto my face. I dug a nail into my thigh in hopes of making me stop. I probably looked like some kind of idiot with that goofy look on my face. But, I was so happy. Finally, I was starting to feel like I belong here. Biting down on my lip, I copied down furiously as Kurenai-sensei spoke.

The next day at school, I came a little early, as usual. The color-print of Sasuke was inside my binder, clear and colorful, though not as nice as the actual photograph would've been. Smiling, I hummed lightly to myself as I made my way upstairs to my homeroom. As my hands reached out to push the double doors that led to the third floor hallway, I fell backwards, realizing someone must have beaten me to opening it. With a crash I landed on my bottom, and a throbbing pain on my forehead made me realize that I was going to have a bruise- an ugly one at that; as if my forehead weren't noticeable enough with its irregular size.

I groaned, bringing a hand to where it ached. A few feet away, my binder was sprawled across the linoleum floor in a mess. A few papers were sticking out, and the picture of Sasuke was a couple of inches away from it. Dear Kami, the last thing I needed was my photo to be seen in public. Crawling over to it, I picked it up and dusted the dirt off of it. The next thing I did was check for any rips or wrinkles. When I saw it was in a state of perfection, I sighed. Color ink was costly- it would've been a waste to print it again because of my clumsiness.

"Hn." It was something halfway between a breath of air and a grunt, spoken huskily and quietly. The sound was familiar- I heard it somewhere before many times, but couldn't quite place where. But when I looked up, I did- all too quickly, I might add. He was after all, he was in my hands. Literally. Uchiha Sasuke. With a blush of scarlet adorning my cheeks, I hastily placed the print into my binder. This time, it went into its side pocket, where it wouldn't fall out so easily if I fell. Once, I peeked up at him. His gaze went from the closed binder then up to my face, a hint of distaste in his eyes.

"Watch where you're going," he said sharply, redirecting his gaze ahead of him. I felt the words prick me like ice, and flinched. And then he was gone, down the stairs in a fluid movement, before I could explain myself, before I could tell him that it's not what it looks like. I gathered my books quietly, face red with shame. I paused in front of my homeroom door. My hand reached up to my forehead, touching my pink hair hesitantly. A moment later, I stepped in, thankful I had bangs. And then, I dropped everything in my hands in sudden realization: the bastard hadn't apologized.

Seething with anger, I bent down to gather my things once more. How dare he? After he slams the door open on me- which was metal, by the way,-, makes me fall, get me a bruise on my ass of all places and my forehead, and talk to me like I was some kind of dog, the twerp didn't even bother to say sorry to me. I sat down in my seat, trying to ignore the steam that blasted out of my nose and ears.

A few minutes later, after drawing a stick figure (unlabelled, unless someone finds it and mistakes it for something else, like a certain someone did moments before) and stabbing it, I felt better. Lifted actually; it felt like I went to therapy. I should stab Sasuke stick figures more often. The door to the classroom opened, and Ino came in with a group of girls behind her. They waved at me and walked over to my desk. I smiled back, crumpling the sheet of paper and tossing it into my bag. Dang it, I didn't want to give Ino her picture with them around. I didn't need anymore publicity.

And then, with perfect timing for once, Uchiha Sasuke came in, causing the girls to turn and squeal. With alacrity I took out the photo and handed it to Ino. Her azure eyes widened with pleasure. "Thanks Sakura-chan! You're the best!" she cried, and skipped over to my side to give me a hug. I sagged in my seat with relief. Oh good, nothing went wrong for once in this morning. "HEY, HEY EVERYONE! LOOK WHAT SAKURA-CHAN GAVE ME!" She waved the photo in her hands as she showed the other girls. Okay, this was even worse than when Sasuke accidentally saw it- and that said a lot. With mortification, I dropped my head onto my desk, groaning. I groaned even louder after it made impact because, dammit, I forgot I had a bruise there. Gee, this just wasn't my day, was it?

"Hey, Sakura!" The girls were around me in a second, with Ino grinning in the background. I had a strange feeling I was going to get jumped. Hmm... I wonder how that feels. Was it as bad as having a bruise on somewhere you sat for the entire day? "How come Ino gets one of your amazing photos of Sasuke-kun?" For a moment, I faltered, rendered speechless. Wait-what?

"Yeah, yeah, that's not fair! I want one, Sakura~," one of the girls said, pouting. And then there was a rampage of words:

"Ooh, can I have one too?"

"Me too Sakura, I want one!"

"Eh, but can I get mine in photo? The color one doesn't look so good. Ah! I'm not insulting your photograph or anything, it's just that a photo's-"

"If she gets hers in photo, can I get mine in photo too?"

"Can I get mine in poster size?"

"ME TOO! I would LOVE a Sasuke-kun poster!"

"HEY!" The chatter quieted amongst the girls as they turned to look at Ino who glowered, her hands on her hips. Her face broke out into a grin. "If anyone gets a photo, it's me! I want one too." As the girls resumed their attention to me, somehow subdued by Ino's words, the blonde girl winked deviously from behind them. I nodded once at her, having a new found respect for her, err, talents.

"Guys," I started slowly. They waited. "I would love to give you all photos, but this isn't an instant camera, so I have to actually develop the photos, and that cost a lot of money for the ten of you who are requesting it, especially with the size you're asking for..." I trailed off, hoping they would get the hint. Their faces slowly drooped with disappointment. Something like guilt began to gnaw on the inside of my chest. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. One, however, spoke out, their voice unfazed.

"I'll buy it. How much do you want?" The others looked at her with surprise that suddenly turned into recognition. Another commotion began, and the group around me began to contribute shoutings to the purchase of my photos. From the corner of my eye, I stared at Uchiha Sasuke. My mind was spinning, firstly with the calculations on how much each photo would cost, and the second on how far I could take this.

"For a photo about the size of a sheet printer paper, five dollars. Anything bigger, it'll go up." I took out a sheet of paper. "Write your name here and the size you want of your photo here. Be specific." Squealing, the girls crowded around the paper, looking for pens to use and contemplating how big they wanted their picture of Sasuke-kun to be on their wall. From amongst the crowd, another voice spoke, inquisitive.

"Hey, Sakura-chan? Do you think we could write requests for photos? Y'know, for future purchases?" I smiled, nodding, the shock of the purchases numbing my surprise at the question. The crowd of girls slowly got bigger as others took interest in the excited chatter of the group. This couldn't be happening, could it? I glanced over at Sasuke. He looked over and met my gaze, eyes narrowing. The smile on my face widened, and to him, it was probably for the wrong reasons, just like last time. But this was how I got into this mess, I thought. Uchiha Sasuke, I think I just made a business out of you.

* * *

Yay! It's over! This is really long. It's actually annoying me. -.-" I wish I could split it into two, but then there would be nothing very interesting happening in them. So, this is Sakura's dream job. Isn't it nice? I would love to get paid to to take pictures of hot guys... Mmm, not much SasuSaku action, but more will come. I'm still thinking about what's gonna happen and how he'll find out and all that. I probably should've thought of it before I started it, but oh well. Now would be a good time for the inspiration fairy to hit me.

Anyways, OMG! Yay! I got reviews! Thanks so much to **Akemi Akira, , xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, SasoLOVE111, Frost. queen **and **lightning faery** for taking the time to review my story. Hmm, so here are my replies to you guys:

Thank you, xemotionallyCONSTPIATEDx- you are right. I didn't do much of a great first chapter, ne? *sweatdrops* I was going to include the whole dream job part, but I felt like it would be too long. So I guess putting it in would've been a good idea...

Akemi Akira and Frost. queen : mmm, it's not like I hate the couple or anything. I just got over them, I guess. I have "obsessions" over certain couples that last a couple of months then kinda fade away. That's what I mean by when I got sick of them. As for me disliking them, I guess it's too strong of a word then. They're an okay couple, but I haven't started obsessing over them again. Perhaps I'll start after this fanfiction.

BTW, even though I dislike a couple, if I have ideas for a good story about them, I'll write it anyway. Though, I don't DISLIKE dislike any couples. Dislike to me is like not obsessing over. So, I guess I don't really dislike SasuSaku at all. Hmm...my bad. :)

And thanks to all who thought it was original and stuff. :) It makes a writer happy to know they aren't being cliché. I hope you're satisfied with this chapter as well. Anyways, if you got the time, please review! Thanks!

loooooove~, Moodyaura. :)

p.s. i think i suck at cliff hangers.


	3. beep

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

The below is Korean, by the way. I can read it cause I'm Korean. :O Anyways, they're all going to mean start, but in a different language. I really hope I don't run out of languages...at least the ones on those translator sites...

Languages I used (so I don't forget. -_-): English, Spanish, Korean

- 시작! -

On my desk were exactly two envelopes, both the color of cream. Next to my seat stood a thick column of paper, rolled together with a rubber band around their circumference to keep them in place. I was the first person in homeroom, as usual. Because we had Hatake Kakshi as our homeroom teacher- who always came late and thus had to rush through the announcements- most of the students didn't bother to come in until much later.

On the first day of school, I came five minutes early and sat down, waiting anxiously for everyone to come in. After a while homeroom started, and as I was panicking on the thought that I was in the wrong homeroom, someone came in. They told me, after seeing the expression on my face, that the teacher was normally late, and to not worry. Apparently, everyone had gotten the warning that Kakashi-sensei did this sort of thing- everyone except me, anyway. (Oh the woes of being a scholarship student.)

A light laugh left my lips at the memory. I came early afterwards, even though it was unnecessary. I still do. My attention returned to the items on my desk, not unable to feel appall at their sight. The envelope opened, and from it came out a glossy sheet, dragged out between my fingers. It was the picture I took from a few days ago. Only today, it was on a sheet of photo paper I chose from before right after school at the photo development center. It looked, well, terrific.

I took out the rest of the photos in the envelope and splayed them out across my desk like a fan. There were ten in all- ten of the same, exact photo;_ my_ photo. My heart hammered against my chest as my eyes scanned them all. They were the 8" by 10" ones: five dollars each. In the other envelope were five 4" by 6" that cost a dollar each. And the ones standing upright on the floor...I felt long breath escape through my nose, my eyes closed. I couldn't quite explain what I felt when I saw them- it was a feeling resembling exhilaration and elatedness.

They were posters. Let me repeat that once more, p-o-s-t-e-r-s. As in, the things that people hang on their wall like the Jonas Brothers or Hana Kimi. I got poster requests. It was amazing. I felt like screaming and jumping around in a field of flowers. (Thankfully, I have more self-restraint than that.) The posters were 12" by 18" and cost fifteen dollars. There were five of those. In all, I got twenty people buying that one photo. But those twenty people, who were all girls I might add, didn't consist of just the girls in my class. Some were from the homerooms next door.

_This _totally beat the shit out of working at McDonalds. The same, stupid grin was on my mouth from Kurenai-sensei's class, but this time I didn't stop myself from doing so. From this one photo, I got a total of... my eyes widened as my mind calculated the total. "Holy shit. A hundred and thirty dollars?" The thing below my nose called a mouth failed to control itself as I spoke these thoughts aloud. Damn. This was WAY better than McDonalds.

The classroom door swung open silently, though not quiet enough for my ears to ignore. The sounds of footsteps were heard, slowly approaching the area near where I was. It would have been a good idea to put my photos away then. Every fiber in me told me to, that it was a pretty good idea before someone thought you were an Uchiha Sasuke psycho, but my fingers sat still, curled into a light fist on the desk, numb from shock. Moments later, I heard a silence- no scraping of the chair, no rustle of a moving body. Now I became curious about the presence that was only a few desks away from me.

I lifted my head up, turning it to the side. Then the same breath of air, the trademark sound belonging to the one and only filled the still air of the room. "Hn." Before, the pair of onyx irises had been staring at the photos displayed on my desk, a manner of contemplation in them. Now, they bore into mine, and for a second, before he tore his gaze away, I saw the faint glimmer of distaste from a few days ago, but stronger. How deep can his hatred go, I wondered, if what I saw now was maybe only the scratchings of the surface?

It is shameful for me to say that I gulped. Rather audibly, I might add. My cheeks heated up like fire as my hands scrambled to get the photos in a pile. Hastily I put them back into their envelope before I could embarrass myself further. A few days ago, and probably since the beginning of the year, Sasuke had sat about one or two desks next to mine, near the back. There, the male population of the class surrounded him, as they mostly hung out in a group. I was maybe the closest girl to him, physically speaking.

But that was before this- the entire photo incident. Uchiha Sasuke was a cautious person, I realized. Well, in the case of fan girls, anyways. Even yesterday, he had sat a little farther away than usual. And now, as my eyes raked my right corner, noticing his suddenly absent presence, I realized just how cautious he was. There he sat, in the complete opposite side from me- all the way up in the front, on the left side of the classroom. I was flabbergasted. We practically made a diagonal line if our desks were connected together. I had to stifle laughter at the ridiculousness of his actions.

And, oh, this was rich- he thought I was a fan girl! Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm the only non-fan girl in my class. There are a handful of girls who aren't. It was normal to be one (a non-fan girl, that is), but the majority, which only beat the other by a slight bit, liked Sasuke. But seriously- me? A fan girl? I bent over to my side where my bag was and hid behind it, crying silently from hysteria. Firstly, I had more dignity than to become one, even if I liked Sasuke. And secondly, I don't like him at all. I'd rather fall in love with Gai-sensei! Or Lee, there really was no difference. (Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but you get my exaggeration, right?)

I crinkled my nose at the thought of the younger one. Recently, he confessed that he had a crush on me, full with the bursts of "YOUTH!" and all that. I was flattered, really, but the guy was just so... eccentric. I let him down very kindly. He was a nice guy, the one who talked to me on my first day and asked how I was doing at the school. But Lee's just not my type.

I sighed, poking the envelope on my desk with my pen. Hmm...Maybe I needed another Sasuke stick figure to ease my guilt, I thought, chuckling. A little while later, the rest of the girls in my class came in, breaking the hush of the room. Hinata sat on the seat beside me, bowing her head in greeting. The rest of the girls circled Sasuke, squealing "Good Morning~!" and other phrases to him, or had taken a seat.

Ino left the group and plopped down in front of me, smiling cheerfully. "Good Morning, Sakura-chaaan~." She sat up and stretched her arms, yawning. Just like a cat, I thought, laughing. "Mou, but I'm still tired..." she commented playfully. Her large blue eyes lowered to the envelopes on my desk. "Ne, are those the photos?" Ino asked. When I nodded, she squealed and turned away from me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that told me to duck. "HEY! SAKURA-CHAN HAS THE PHOTOS!"

I slid into my chair deeply. From the group of girls that left Sasuke, the first one that emerged out was a red-haired girl by the name of Karin. On the first day of school, when I was introduced to everyone by Ino during lunch, I got a taste of Karin's violent temper and ah... _vivid _personality. Hozuki Suigetsu, white-haired ("Bleached," he told me) and dark-eyed, popped up next to Karin as I shook hands with her. "Hey Sakura, you should watch out," he began, a sly smile on his face, "Karin's a bitch."

Needless to say, after that, my hand never felt quite the same. But when Karin wasn't raging mad, she was friendly and nice. Her constant snide comments on the teachers were hilarious. "Ooh, Saku-chan, can I get my poster? How much is it?"

"Fifteen dollars," I replied, smiling. She took out a wallet from her bag, both embellished with the signature upside-down triangle I made out as Prada. Parting the leather pockets, Karin took out a ten and a five and handed it to me. The fifties in the other pocket didn't fail to capture my attention. I felt as though someone had slapped me in the face as I put the cash into my bag. Out of place- that's what I was. It struck me so suddenly; I felt a flush creeping up my cheeks, filling me with shame.

What was I doing here? Mentally, I shook the feeling away. I knew why. The large, glossy poster was extracted with ease from the bundle as I presented it to her. She gaped at it for a second before bursting into squeals. "Here's a rubber band," I told her, handing it to her. She took it from me, grinning widely.

"Oh my God, this is amazing! Thanks SO much!" Karin shrieked. Promptly after her, the other girls (both this class and the ones next door) began taking their orders. I saw the money in my hand to increase just as I calculated: $130. I made a good amount of profit. I was once again thrown into a daze as I put the money into my wallet.

And this was the way things went for about the next month or so. Once a week I took their orders, brought them to the photo development center, waited a few days for it to develop and gave it to them. I was raking in cash. I got requests too, simple ones (e.g. _Listening to Music –Tayuya. Thanks Saku-chaan, you rock~_), most of them were repeated. My pictures became eminent throughout the school. Soon, I had upperclassmen coming up to me to order photos. Homeroom was crowded with people- both morning and afternoon. It was absolutely unbelievable. I had more than a thousand dollars by the end of the month.

There was little interaction between me and Sasuke, even though I was required to take pictures of him. Sometimes, he would turn to stare at me, harsh and cold, catching me like a deer stuck in the headlights with the camera in my hand. With mortification, I hid the machine behind my back when he did. He knew I was taking pictures; he had to- unless he was far-sighted and didn't wear contacts... But besides the glares, the brief "Watch where you're going," and one-line phrases, I barely talked to him at all. And I was glad.

With the fame of my photos, my popularity status also increased. More people said hello to me, told me how much they loved my pictures, and wondered if they could order one, maybe? It was big. There was a little more than two months left of freshmen year when the next major thing in my life came up. It was during lunch, and I had asked Emi, who sat next to me in math, if she could buy my lunch while I gave out the pictures.

"Sakura, you look beat," she told me as she slid my lunch tray to me. Laughing, I nodded and took it from her gratefully, bowing my head I thanks. Somehow, during morning homeroom and the beginning of lunch, I had managed to give out all the photos and collect all the money. "Why do you need so much money, anyways?" Emi asked, poking at the fried rice she got. "Big sale?" She smiled wryly at me.

The both of us knew this wasn't the reason, seeing how simple I dressed on casual Fridays, when it wasn't mandatory to wear our uniform. My eyes lowered to my tray, choosing not to meet her eyes. "I just need it. No big reason." Emi stared at me for a while as I stayed silent. She let out a sigh and shrugged.

"You'll tell me when you tell me," she said easily. She put a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at her. "Just remember, I'm here if you need me, got it?" Smiling, I nodded, giving her thanks. Laughing, Emi poked my cheek playfully. She was one of the most friendly, easy-going people I knew. Emi had a talent for reading people, but knew when to respect their privacy. She was always there for you, and that was why I liked her so much. Throughout the year, we became close friends. However, she was also a Sasuke fan girl. Not as bad as Karin, but...

I was shaken out of my thoughts as Ino plopped down right next to me. Hinata sat across from me, her eyes absorbed in a book we were required to read for English. Next to her, Kagura, a non-fan girl, read with her. Apparently, it was interesting. "Sakura!" Ino sang out, "I got something to tell you." The two girls next to me looked at one another, as if they were taking part in a secret plot. They nodded once at each other. This was going to be bad, wasn't it? I had a gut feeling, which, I never listen to. Sadly. (Right now, my gut feeling told me to run to the bathroom.)

"Sasuke's really popular, isn't he?" Emi asked me. I nodded at the abrupt question, wondering where this was going. "The school has a lot of fan girls, even in the older grades. It's crazy, Sakura. Some of the girls get out of hand, because they like him so much. There's no conduct, no basis to the Uchiha Sasuke fan girl code." At this point, I was dumbstruck- my confusion resulted in my speechlessness. Emi, however, took my silence as a sign to go on, and gave a look to the blonde girl next to me. "So, Ino and I were talking..."

She trailed off. Ino stepped in, and said, "We were talking to the other girls in the upper grades. They don't have much control over the fan girls either. They said they wanted a method of organization to this whole mess, but didn't know what. Later, I overheard a couple of kids talking about making a club, and an idea hit me: why not create an Ucihiha Sasuke Fan Club? Make if official and everything, not the little stuff the other girls are doing. I didn't know if you could base a club on a person, though, so I looked through everything to make sure and-"

Emi cut in, "-It worked! The official fan club of Uchiha Sasuke was made! But all clubs have to have a leader to them, to keep everything in order. So we talked to the girls again, and debated over who should be the president. It had to be someone they knew, someone they could trust and depend on."

"And it turns out," Ino began, staring intently at me, "All of the girls happen to know you, Sakura." Okay, I still had no idea where this was going. The blonde-girl sighed at the puzzled expression on my face. "Because of your photos, Sakura, the upperclassmen know you. They can depend on you, and they can trust you. It was unanimous."

"What was?" I asked. This deep feeling in my gut told me where this might be going, but I chose to ignore it. Playing dumb never failed before, and maybe they would get the hint that this shouldn't be going where...well, wherever it was going, because I still didn't really know. (More like want to.) Ino stared at me pointedly from where she was, her arms crossed. She and Emi exchanged looks once more and from the corner of my eye, I saw her nod.

"Sakura, we want you to be the President of the Uchiha Sasuke fan club."

Oh.

OHHH, that's where it was go-WAIT, WHAT?

* * *

Hello readers and welcome to the end of chapter three! Yay! Thanks so much to all of you that reviewed: **xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, kerapal bubbles, GoldenKitsuneHime13, SasoLOVE111**, **VALLED** **Cady** and **Akemi Akira.** You guys have no idea how much I love reading your feedback and comments. My replies to you all are below~

XemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, OMG, really? No way! O.O" I am so glad I'm going to a public high school. That's a huge amount of money... BWAHAHA, I know, SasoLOVE111, right? Ugh, man, what I'd give to do that. *drools* GoldenKitsuneHime13, LMAO, thanks. I love making Sakura kick ass. Sasuke pisses me off right now, with the whole "I'm gonna be evil and RAWR" thing. Someone needs to give him a hard kick in the nuts. Seriously.

kerapal bubbles, THANK YOU for thinking I was funny. I have serious issues with humor. I don't think it likes me. *pouts* VALLED- yeah, that's kinda why I got over it too. Hmm, but SakuSasu is fun because Sakura's so, err, emotional. And violent. XD. Cady, I hope I live up to your expectations. Gosh, this is stressful. Uwaaah... Akemi Akira, thanks~ I was originally going to make Sakura's interest acting, but I have a different story line with that, so I thought of photography. Which, y'know, fits in with everything.

Thank you all for your comments, and please click the button below~ it's not hard, you just move your mouse over there and write something. ANYTHING. Except really mean stuff, cause I'm sensitive. ._." So, REVIEW! YEAH! :D

ttyl, loooooove~ Moodyaura :O

p.s. I think I talk too much... ;P


	4. bop

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

Languages I've used: English, Spanish, Korean, **Russian,**

- старт! -

My position was behind the small teacher's desk in an empty classroom after school. In front of me sat some girls from my homeroom; the other seats were taken by females I didn't know. The remaining space was also taken up by girls, sitting, standing, or leaning against anything they could. The crowded room told me just how many fan girls Sasuke had.

The area where I was is the "teacher area", consisting of everything approximately three to four feet away from the chalkboard behind me; the floor there was elevated a foot higher than the rest of the room. This simple raise allowed the teacher to see every student in the back, thus ensuring as little fooling around as possible.

I folded my hands, placing them on the wooden top, shifting slightly in my seat. At this movement, the other girls straightened as well, looking expectantly at me. I cleared my throat once to break the silence. "Welcome," I began nervously, "To the first official meeting of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club." From their seats, some of the girls let out cheers, and I laughed lightly at their enthusiasm. Their interruption eased the tense silence from before. Relaxing, I leaned back into my seat, staring at them as I spoke my next words: "I am your President, Haruno Sakura."

Yes, I know- this was the exact opposite of what I would've done if I had liked Sasuke. Becoming a fan girl was demeaning enough, but to become the President of his fan club? That went to the extreme of all extremes. And don't think I suddenly became obsessed over him, because I didn't. Honestly. It's just that... Yamanaka Ino, surprisingly, and Futorabi Emi happen to be very persuasive people.

Yesterday, at lunch, I was asked by Ino to be the President of Uchiha Sasuke's Fan Club. Immediately, I declined her offer, due to obvious reasons. However, the blonde was a rather persistent person, and refused to leave me alone after my rejection. "Come on, Sakura," she pleaded, pulling at the short sleeve of my uniform top, "It'll be so much fun! We're just going to hang out after school and talk about Sasuke-kun. The first meeting is tomorrow after school and the girls are expecting you to be there."

Shrugging her death like grip off my sleeve- the uniform was pricey, and I didn't want to pay for alterations because Ino was too strong for her own good- I gave her a firm look. "Then you're going to have to find someone else, Ino. If all we're going to be doing is that, I think I can do something more productive during my time." The girl looked crestfallen for a moment before perking up, mouth jutted out to form a pout. Oh no, not the puppy dog face.

"Sakura, we need you. The girls have a lot of faith in you- they want you to be there as President. You're responsible and not wild like the other girls. You can keep them under control, I know you can," she said, her expression growing serious, "It's a club, yes, but it means so much more to other girls in this school. We can do other things, too. We can be a fan club and we can be a part of the community. But to do so, we need a strong leader to guide us there- that's you, Sakura." She saw my face lower with defeat and smiled triumphantly.

"Sakura," I heard Emi's voice next to me, her tone on the verge of being sly, "Your photography can also expand as well. Did you know that other girls from other schools have heard about it? I talked to some of them, and they're interested in buying." Wh-what? Girls from other schools want my photos? My eyes widened, growing surprised at her words as I turned to stare at her.

Emi smiled lightly, and went on, "Yes, it's true. I know you're tired from running around to give out photos, so I thought of a way you could stand still and the customers could come to you: an auction." Unconsciously, I mouthed the last word silently, savoring its meaning. Auctions were a brilliant way to make money- and with the...fame I have now, it would attract so many people. The prices could start low and reach unimaginable numbers... She saw my apparent interest and her smile grew, eyes twinkling. "So, will you consider it? I think you'll make a great President, Sakura."

Her words were genuine. I focused my gaze back on Ino, who nodded in agreement, her hands folded as they begged me. They really wanted me to be President of this club; it was so sincere, I felt tears almost prick the corner of my eyes. A long breath left my mouth as they waited my answer. "Fine." It was a defeat, quiet and short; but to them it was my reply, my acceptance. Instantly, two pairs of arms were thrown around my neck as they shrieked into my ear.

When I pried them off me, my ears still ringing with the vibrations of their screams, Ino glanced at me deviously, her eyes wandering off into the distance before returning to me. "You know, you don't have to hide it anymore. You're President now."

"I- what?"

She rolled her eyes and gave my arm a nice, hard poke with the tip of her manicured finger. "Don't play dumb." The inquisitive look in my eyes didn't change. Heaving a dramatic sigh, Ino leaned into my ear, and whispered, "I know you like Sasuke, so you don't have to pretend anymore. It's okay, it's not like we're gonna jump you or anything. You're Prez now." Taking my widening eyes as her statement to be valid, she giggled. "I got you, didn't I? I knew since you took that picture of him. You're really good at hiding though, if it makes you feel better."

Emi gasped as she grabbed me by the arm, forcing me to face her. "You like Sasuke too? Oh my gosh, I had no idea!" Yeah, that's probably because I _don't _like him... I opened my mouth to contradict their statements when a thought popped up into my mind. And the same exact moment, Ino spoke what I was thinking.

"Well, durr," she said, rolling her pretty blue eyes, "She's the President. It makes sense." And it did- it made perfect sense, and that was the problem. I didn't like him at all; my feelings were the exact opposite (or _antithesis_, SAT word!) of the fan girls. However, after hearing Emi's ideas, being President would be beneficial to my financial situation right now. I also wouldn't have a cramp in my hand from handing all the photos out.

So, thus, here I was, sitting in the teacher's desk where a true, Sasuke-obsessed fan girl should've been, wondering where to begin with the first meeting when I clearly had no interest in fan-girling over the Uchiha. "Thank you for coming here today," I said, nodding slightly at the group of girls sitting before me. "As you can see, we have a lot of members in this club. I apologize for not being able to find a bigger classroom for all of you."

One of the girls, who I recognized as a junior and regular customer, in the middle row chirped, "It's alright, Sakura-sama." A blush crept up my cheeks at the honorific. I was just the President of his fan club, not their better or someone to be respected. I wasn't partaking in this club for admirable reasons anyway.

"Thank you, but Sakura-san will be just fine. There's no need for the honorific, senpai." The upperclassman nodded at my words, and jotted something down on a piece of paper she had. A dizzy sensation filled my head at the sight- notes? They were taking notes on what I was saying? This wasn't just a silly position, I realized grimly; this was something resembling a role model. Soon, I understood why Ino had been so serious when talking to me.

I moved back, the chair making an ugly noise against the wooden floor. Wincing, I got up and approached the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk. If this really was as important as Ino made it sound, then I had to take upon my leadership to influence these girls for the better. Starting with, I thought, my hand moving fluidly across the chalkboard, a problem she told me about before. When I finished, I moved aside to let the other girls see what I wrote.

The board read this: the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Girl Code. Taking a deep breath, I began. "I have heard about your...unacceptable behavior as fan girls. As of now, I want it to be forgotten. This," I said, pointing to the board, "Is what you will follow in school. How you act at home is up to you." Underneath the title, I wrote notes, bullets of the rules they must follow if they were to join this club. If they were going to be fan girls, they would act like so without demeaning themselves. This was what I thought as I spoke to them for the next twenty minutes.

The first meeting finished about an hour after school ended. By the end, I had covered their conduct and we decided on leaders for each grade, as well as a Vice-President, a Secretary, etc. It was productive, and the girls greeted me good-bye, sometimes waving, sometimes a hug or a bow, as they exited through the door. Ino gave me a knowing smirk, as if to say, _I-told-you-so_ before she left. The last one left in the room was Karin, who made her way up to me, a clipboard in her hands.

"Congratulations," she said, smiling. "You did great. I wanted to be President, but," Karin's fingers dug into the edges of the clipboard she held before she released them in surprise, as if she had just realized what she was doing, "I got the next best thing." My eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry- I didn't know-"

She cut me off. "No. You'll do a better job than me. Besides," she said, tossing her head back, "Getting stuck doing Presidential duties will leave me less time for Sasuke." Karin was, though I would never say it out loud, the female version of Suigetsu. She was calculating, and yes, sometimes a bitch, but she was blunt and didn't hesitate to speak her mind. It was hard to believe, but Karin never lied- she didn't have to. She wasn't afraid of anyone or what people thought of her.

So, if she complimented you, it was something coming from the bottom of her heart. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "I'll look forward to working with you."

She snorted. "You sound like we're some old ladies in their first job." Yeah, like that. No hesitation at all. It was actually something to admire, except some of her comments went too far, even if they were her opinions. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something. A request, actually, for a photo."

I hadn't talked about the auction this meeting, so the photo requests were still up. In the next meeting, though, I should bring it up- I was getting tired from running around all the time. "Okay, what is it?"

"I want a picture of Sasuke-kun shirtless."

If I were drinking something, I would have definitely spat it out from shock. Thankfully, I wasn't, and I was spared from Karin's thunderous violence. She rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, I know it goes against your whole '_respect Sasuke-kun like you respect yourself'_ thing," Karin said, making quotation marks with her fingers, "But I want it. It'll be the last thing I do before I go follow your boring rules." Inwardly, I winced at her words. She was really blunt. I knew they weren't quite fan girling, but it felt like the right thing to do; and besides, I told them they could scream and squeal all they want in the club room.

But it wasn't the picture taking that was the problem, it was the lack of what he was wearing I had to take. "Karin, I don't know." Her eyes narrowed behind her red glasses. "Because, well," I scrambled to find a legitimate excuse besides how embarrassing, how demeaning, how rude (three things I would get the crap beaten out of me for saying) it was, "It's not like he would pose half-naked for me willingly. I don't see any opportunity for me to take it." Yes, that was a very good excuse. Good job, Sakura.

"Is that it?" Her expression relaxed back into a bored gaze. "Sasuke-kun practices soccer in the east field." That was all she said before turning to exit the classroom.

I raced after her, calling out, "Wait! Karin!" She stopped and turned on her heel, raising a brow at me. One edge of her mouth was turned down to a half-frown. Oh dear, I was testing her patience. I really hope she doesn't blow up on me. "I- I don't see how that would help me, Karin..."

The red-haired girl closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, taking a deep breath. (This was something she learned in the Anger Management Class she had been taking recently. It was hard to believe Karin was actually learning how to control her temper. She doesn't try to hide it either, as she told me, very simply, when I asked her what she was doing with her long pauses and deep breaths.) "Sometimes," she said slowly, "He's shirtless."

I hesitated in my reply. There was an extent to Karin's tolerance in keeping back her anger, and I might have just reached it... but... Glancing at her nervously, I ventured timidly, red blush spreading across my cheeks at the thought of her request, "Karin, I don't think I should, I mean he's half-naked, so, I don't think he'll like if I- "

And then she exploded. Karin lowered her eyes dangerously at me, her mouth curling into a snarl. "Dammit, Sakura," she hissed, jabbing a finger in my direction, "I don't fucking care if you're too much of a damn prude to look at a guy shirtless. Your shitty rules are annoying, got that? Who the hell gives if it doesn't respect him- I'm the one whose gonna fucking look at it, goddamn it!" I backed a step away from her probing finger, flinching at her words. "So fuck your rules, I just want my fucking picture!"

Karin let out a deep breath after she stopped her rant, her hand dropping to her side. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers through her hair, obviously frustrated. "Dammit. I freaked out again." She opened her eyes and caught sight of me, backed up against a wall. Biting her lip, she stared at the ground for a moment. "Sorry." It was quick and quiet, a bit forced, but she meant it.

"It's okay," I answered shakily. Groaning, Karin shook her head, her gaze still lowered. "What did you mean by again?" I asked, trying to fill the awkward silence that followed. A wry smile spread across her lips.

"I beat the shit out of Suigetsu. He was annoying me," she replied, snorting. "That retard." A quiet laugh escaped me- I could picture that scene perfectly. "Anyway," Karin said, redirecting her gaze at me, "I know this sounds incredibly bitchy, but can I have my picture?" I couldn't help laugh at her words, this time loud enough for her to ear. It was so like her, it was funny. Her face fell flat at my amusement. "What's so funny?"

I shook my head, trying to suppress my grin. "Nothing, it's nothing."

The red-haired girl rolled her eyes at me. "Well, can you?" she asked with impatience. Noticing my hesitation, she pursed her lips into a thin line. "Look, if you're gonna be such a prude about it, I'll pay you to just take it. I know you need money." She didn't let me continue spluttering in astonishment as she cut me off. "It's kinda obvious, y'know. The whole photo selling thing and all. I don't think you like Sasuke enough to be President, well, not as much as me, but whatever. Anyways, I'll give you thirty bucks to just take it and how much you want it in poster size. And I want it huge."

So Emi didn't tell anyone, but Karin was smart enough to find out on her own. How...odd. The first feeling I felt was indignation at her words, for bribing me with money to take that photo, like I was some kind of desperate beggar. It was insulting. But then my logical side took over: photographers get paid to take all kinds of photos- what different is that from now? She's just my client who was asking for something I don't usually do. That was all.

And, I have to admit, money talks. It talks a lot. If money had a voice, it would be loud and enticing, shouting all sorts of pleasures and desires to you, slowly pulling you in. This was a big order, one that I could really profit from.

I looked at her, pushing away all thoughts of it being immoral, of being disrespectful and going against everything that I said, of being demeaning towards me, and said one thing: "When do you want it by?"

A satisfied expression crossed her face as she shrugged. "Before the end of this month, if you can. I'll catch you later, Sakura-chan." Karin turned to walk away, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. She stopped for a moment and turned her head, her red hair draping over her shoulders. She looked hesitant. "And, thank you."

I smiled. "Your welcome." Nodding, she turned, and exited the hallway through the stairs. When Karin disappeared from sight, I sighed, sagging against the hallway wall. What an eventful day, I thought, staring dazedly at the ceiling. Sinking down onto the floor, I rested my head on my knees, suddenly realizing what I had to do to fulfill Karin's request. Haruno Sakura, my mind chided me, you are a disgrace to your sex.

* * *

BWAHAHAHAHAAA! And that's how it ends. I actually like Karin. She's not a big bitch- just highly emotional and crazy. And, okay, sometimes a bitch. Mehh... I betcha can't wait for the SasuSaku confrontation that's coming up, nee? Hopefully it makes up for the lack of action in this one...

I can't believe how many reviews I got for the last chapter! Hugs and kisses to you wonderful, wonderful people: **Akemi Akira, VALLED, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, Luna Rei Harmony, TigerLilyette, ItIsHotAt2pm, Autumn Misery, Cady, GoldenKitsuneHime13, gaarasracoon, kerapal bubbles,** and, finally, **SasoLOVE111. **You guys are the best. Your reviews made my day.

Akemi Akira, thank you! Normally it takes me months to update, but I really like this story, and I'm getting lots of feedback so that's really encouraging me. Unfortunately, I'll be starting my freshmen year at high school next Wednesday. That means studying everyday, continuously, and little updating. I'll try to, but I think it'll be, at most, once every one or two weeks. Oh, and, I draw fairly well... hmm, I really don't know. I think I could do better, but, ehh. *shrugs*

I think I would post my drawings except I don't have a scanner. *sweatdrop* Or Photoshop so I can't edit it or anything. However, I do have one of those digital drawing board pad thingies...

Luna Rei Harmony- Thank you so much, that review was really, well, sincere. I hope I get lots of compliments... :)

ItIsHotAt2pm- Thanks! I love being told I have an original plot, so thanks for the comment. And yes, Korea has huge fan clubs- esp. for DBSK and all that. I didn't know this, but the fan clubs portrayed in Japanese/Korean/asian shows, dramas, anime, manga, etc. are all real. And I don't mean the ones over a celebrity, but the ones over an actual, normal person. (Like Sasuke...kinda.) I always thought it was, well, a big exaggeration and some kind of cultural joke. My dad went to school in Korea and told me about them.

I was all, "OMG, REAAAALLLY?" And he was like, "Yes. I'm not joking. Popular, good looking, normal guys (and some girls) had fan clubs dedicated to them." So then, I was all, "I bet you didn't have any fan clubs." *Cheeky grin* He goes, "Harharhar... yeah. I didn't."

Aww, sad face. Poor daddy. I'm such a mean daughter. bwahahahaaaa... :D But I love him.

Cady: *evil laugh* Me too.

Anyways, I love you all, and thanks for all the reviews! And now that we have to part, *sniff*, I urge you to move your mouse over to the REVIEW button and click it. Write something as I throw away my last days of summer for going back to school- ick. I hope you all have fun, enjoy the time you have left, and good luck at the approaching school year!

AND REVIEW! mwah!

-loooooooooove, moodyaura. :*

p.s. does that look like a smoochie face? I don't think it does. ._." hmm..., oh well.


	5. buzz

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

Languages I've used: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian,** German**

- Anfang! -

The next day, I sat in my regular seat in homeroom, tapping a pencil against my desk as I stared at the sheet of paper before me. It was the list of orders for this week, which was a bit shorter than usual. This happened before. The first time it occurred, I went into a frenzy, wondering why I was losing clients. However, it was contradicted with my following order, which was the largest one I ever had. So, then, I calmed down, realizing that my customers fluctuated at times. It was only natural.

It was a few minutes after regular starting time. A couple of girls had come in, heading straight for Uchiha Sasuke who, yes, still, sat the farthest he could away from me. I hadn't thought much about Karin's request from yesterday- after all, I had plenty of time. But, knowing her short temper, I should probably give it to her as quickly as possible. I suppressed an irritated sigh that threatened to escape me. Shirtless, of all things that she could ask for- she wanted me to take a picture of him shirtless.

And me, foolishly entranced by the offer of money, to accept it- I was ashamed. I still am, but now, my frustration exceeded my disgrace. Karin made it sound so simple: just stroll up to him, ignore the holes he was drilling into your brain, and take it. _Click!_ Finished and done. I rested my forehead against my desk, my arms sprawled out before me. Unfortunately for me, this wasn't war- there was no white flag for me to hold up in surrender. It was a customer's order.

So engrossed in my thoughts, I failed to notice a certain blonde approach me. "Sakura," she purred, and shook my shoulder lightly. Oh, what could it be now? "Sakura-chan, why be so shy? You're turning into Hina-chan now," Ino whined, shaking me even more when I refused to pick my head up. I groaned, forcing myself to look up at her.

"What do you want now, woman?" She gave me an odd smile at my demand before it was replaced with her signature pout. How strange, Ino doesn't usually do something like that. A secret, perhaps? Or maybe I was dreaming with all this nonsense going on in my life.

Without saying a word, she pointed to a direction behind her, turning around slightly to make sure it was right. My eyes followed her as it led to a trail, ending at Sasuke. He was being bombarded by the fan girls in our class. "What about him?" I asked. At this point, Ino threw her hands up in the air, groaning.

"I am seriously tempted to give up on you." She waggled her index finger at me, scolding. "I told you, you don't have to hide it anymore. You're so modest, it's frightening. Don't you have any _desire _in you?" Her speech was confusing me terribly, except for the beginning of the second part. Her words hit me like, well, kind of like when I was in third grade and I got hit on the head with a football. Hard, fast, and shocking to the point I fell down.

Before I really knew what was going on, Ino, with that brute strength of hers, began dragging me by my hand to the front of the classroom. She went behind me, and spoke into my ear, mischievously, "Now go out there, and fan girl. I know you want to, so I'm giving you the perfect opportunity." She placed her hands on my back and gave me a rough push into the crowd. "PRESIDENT COMING THROUGH!" she hollered, "GIVE THE GIRL SOME SPACE WITH SASUKE-KUN!"

Her push was quite strong, as I stumbled clumsily through the parting group, my legs struggling to keep balance. When I stopped, abruptly, not wanting to crash into the desk in front of me, I stood next to the subject of all this chatter himself. I heard Ino's voice ushering the girls out until the only ones remaining in the classroom were me and Sasuke. To say that I was horrified would be a complete understatement. As I turned my gaze to Ino, who was about to exit the classroom herself, she gave me a wink and a thumbs up. "Good luck," she mouthed before closing the door on us.

Okay, there are really only two words that could truly, accurately describe what I was feeling at that point: Oh. Shit. Followed by, but not really needed, because this moment was _totally _not terrifying, a long string of curse words. Slowly, I turned my gaze back to Sasuke. It was quite simple, really, what Ino wanted. All I had to do was worship the ground he walked on. Very easy, considering how completely infatuated I am with him. And please, note the sarcasm.

Did I mention I'm not a very good liar? I don't see why I would suddenly have the need to be exceptionally skilled at it either, since I never had to lie before. (Well, to this extent, at least.) There really was nothing more that I wanted to do than run back to my seat where I could hide under my desk in mortification. Honestly, those were my intentions.

A silence filled the room after Ino had left, a rather awkward silence, I might add. On my part it was, but on his, perhaps not, seeing how quiet he usually was. So, here I was, standing before his desk, trying to think of something to say as a fan girl when his gaze swerves to me. It wasn't a very pleased look either; more like a "what-the-hell-do-you-want-you-annoying-thing" sort of expression.

I said the first thing that came to my mind, which, usually, isn't a brilliant idea to do. "Sasuke-kun!" And you see that was the first part of my very convincing fan girl like compliment. The only problem was I hadn't thought much about the last part. Do you see where I'm going with this? So, panicking out of my mind, my thoughts raced to continue my sentence. "You have really-" Yes, yes, good, keep going on! My mind cheered me. "-really clean pants," I finished lamely. Okay, what the hell Sakura? Where did that come from?

Seriously, open up floor and eat me now. That was pathetic. However, thankfully, it was... true. I guess. Our uniform had a white bottom, and his pants _were_ impeccable... The corner of his eye twitched, most likely from irritation. (I would rather it be irritation than suppressing laughter at my pathetic attempt at a compliment.) And then, right then, I thank the heavens above, Kakashi-sensei barged in. The white-haired man stared at us for a moment, and blinked. "Am I...interrupting something?"

I felt every fiber of my being sink with blissful relief. "NO!" the two of us both cried out. The word left my mouth faster than I realized what it meant. Both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, whose expression was still the same save for the slightly raised eyebrow, gazed at me inquisitively. "I mean, NO!" I cried, wailing. For effect, I pointed my finger at my teacher menacingly. "Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun and I were having a moment!"

"I err, apologize." He smiled under his mask, holding his hands up as if begging me for something. "Forgive your sensei, ne, Sakura-chan?" Huffing, I tossed my head back and agreed, reluctantly. Man, I was a regular drama queen.

A couple of days after this incident, I finally decided to take on Karin's request. I made a habit to "fan girl" over Sasuke more, calling him with the "-kun" suffix, greeting him whenever I could, and managing to hand out decent compliments. Basically, I was annoying the hell out of him, and that stimulated me. Basically, the more I "love" him, the more he'll despise me and leave me alone.

...Well, more than usual. It was also amusing to test his patience. He didn't explode often, but when he did, he turned menacing and the girls knew it was time to leave. Most of the time he ignored them until they went away or class had to start.

After school, I made my way to the east field, camera in one hand and bag in the other. The east field was one of the school's smaller fields. It was fenced off, with openings on the corners for the team to exit from. Benches surrounded the perimeter of the sports ground where viewers can watch the game without worrying about whether or not a soccer ball was going to hit them in the face. On one side of the fence, a group of fan girls stood in a group, squealing to each other. That was the side where the players stopped to rest and get a drink. Wanting some peace and quiet, I ventured over to the opposite side and took a seat on a bench closest to the metal-wire fence.

Placing my bag next to me, I then grabbed my camera with both hands, looking through the lens. My fingers adjusted the zoom lens on my digital SLR, focusing closer onto Sasuke. He still had his shirt on, but, as my magnified lens could see, was quite sweaty. The time should come soon, I thought, lowering my camera. I could still see him from where I was, though, obviously, not as well. Perhaps it would be better if I kept looking through my camera, just in case. Plus, I could get some soccer shots.

The lens became like my eyes, and I followed him all over the field, clicking the button when a perfect frame was seen. About twenty minutes had passed by and still no skin was being shown. Sighing, I placed the camera down on my lap. I had gotten plenty of excellent shots- some of him kicking the ball mid air, some of him running, sweat rolling down his face. With impatience, I flipped my cell phone open to check the time and pocketed it in my bag.

Then, I began to hear shrieks from the other side of the field. Swiftly, I grabbed my camera, peering through the lens. My finger pressed the shutter rapidly, seizing the opportunity in front of me. When he ran onto the field, I began to look through them. The fan girls squealing had started early, luckily, like a premonition they got of his soon-to-be shirtless state and a warning for me. There was one shot I liked in particular: he was standing, his pose unconcerned and indolent. His arms were scrawny, yet had enough built to them to prove he played a sport.

His fingers were grasping his soccer shirt, pulling it off him, exposing a well-toned stomach- a six-pack, I might add. His head was still visible, his dark eyes staring somewhere to his side, mouth curved to a bored frown. The others showed him about to fling his shirt to the side, another one I liked, (it looked like his shirt was sticking vertically to his hand) and him sauntering off to the field. They were great, some of them. The others were terrible, and wincing at their sight, I deleted them with satisfaction.

During their game, they came to my side a couple of times. Some of the team members looked surprised at my presence, but brushed it off and continued with the game. Players from my homeroom waved which I returned happily. The only one who greeted me verbally was Uzumaki Naruto- a bubbly, outrageous blond with bright, dancing azure eyes. He was the class comedian and idiot, always managing to make a fool of himself, but never on purpose. His stupidity was so sincere, it made you feel bad.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, flailing his arms at me wildly as he jumped around. "Hi-!" And then he was cut off as a soccer ball pummeled him to the ground. Yes, exactly like that. I laughed at his liveliness as he stood up, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Besides Lee, Naruto also welcomed me warmly on my first day. He sat next to me in English and always made me giggle with his antics- which I tried terribly hard to stifle.

Up to this point Sasuke had not taken any notice of my presence. I was grateful for this, but it soon ended. My luck ran out when he approached Naruto, who was making funny faces at a squirrel he spotted in a tree. "What are you doing now, you idiot?" Sasuke's voice fell flat at the sight of his blond-haired teammate. While Naruto had opened his mouth, chattering a reply and competing with the creature at the same time, his attention swung over from the blond to me. His gaze lowered to the camera I held in my hands.

My hands scrambled to cover the device, but it was too late. He had taken sight of it. The glare I received from him made me thankful for the fence that separated us. The intensity of dislike in his eyes proved to me that he would not hesitate to smash my camera against the floor if the chance were given. A second later, he grabbed Naruto, who began protesting, and dragged him back onto the field, relieving me of his anger.

Faintly, I heard their- or more like Naruto, seeing he was the louder of the two- from where I was. "Hey, Sasuke-teme, looks like you got another fan girl," he jeered, using a tone of voice that didn't suit him. Said teammate glanced at his friend, pausing in his hauling before resuming his attention to what was in front of him.

"Why, jealous?" Those were Sasuke's only words as he let go of Naruto's shirt, walking ahead of him. I saw Naruto glance back at me once and crimson, his cheeks turning an unhealthy shade of red.

Racing after his friend, Naruto began shouting loudly at him. "NO! I'M NOT- SHUT UP YOU ASSHOLE, I'M NOT JEA-!" But the rest was cut off due to the distance. The game resumed as Sasuke continued to ignore the blond's ranting. After a while, as he lost Sasuke's attention, Naruto chose to pout. An amused smile took place on my lips. They were such a strange pair; complete opposites, and yet they managed to be the closest of friends.

Taking out my phone once more to check the time, I realized, with widening eyes, that it was getting late. One more picture, I promised myself, and then I would leave. And this time, I couldn't take the camera off of him- this shot had to be fantastic. I focused in on Sasuke, who was moving with agility, the ball zig-zaging in between his feet. He was actually quite skilled at playing, I noted. My fingers rotated the lens, zooming out- I had gotten too close to him.

I kept on staring at him through my lens and, with perplexity, zoomed out once more. My frustration grew at my repeated mistakes- it wasn't like me to keep zooming out; I usually got a perfect focus. Perhaps I was more tired than I thought from taking pictures. Or, I thought, as it suddenly struck me, Sasuke was closer than I had presumed.

As this realization dawned upon me, I failed to hear Naruto shout, "HEY, SASUKE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" This would have been my key clue to what would happen next, but unfortunately for me, I was too fixated on Sasuke's approaching figure. Through my lens, I saw the curve of his lips strike upwards to a smirk- smug, devious, and cunning. His obsidian eyes met mine through my camera briefly before something white and round came hurling closer and closer to me...

With a deafening crash, the soccer ball collided against the fence, its impact making a dent in its delicate frame. The noise of clanging metal gave me such a fright, I dropped my camera right onto the grass. Its absent presence in my hands startled me as I bent down to retrieve it, fussing over it the way a mother would over a baby. After checking every inch of it for any marks, (there were none, thank goodness) I sighed in relief.

When I looked up, Sasuke was still there, the ball under one of his cleats. He was staring at me listlessly, though the smugness in his eyes couldn't be concealed. I felt rage grow inside of me at his sight, at his deliberate motives to shock me. "What was that for," I demanded, not bothering to hide the anger in my voice. The edges of his lips curled slightly, just like the last time I had seen them.

"For being annoying. Just like the other girls." I resisted the urge to punch him through the fence at his words, my nails digging into my palm. He leaned down to pick up the ball, holding it in his hands. Sasuke looked at me once more, eyes full of contempt and disdain, before turning to walk away. No apology. Nothing.

I lost it. "YOU ASSHO-!" And just before I completely, utterly began screaming at the top of my lungs to tell him how much of a sick bastard he was, my temper suddenly subdued at remembering his words. Just like the other girls. Because that's what I was- or, at least, what I was pretending to be: his fan girl. A bitter taste of regret filled my mouth as Sasuke turned around, walking back to where I was.

His eyes were flaming and dangerous, like two burning, black coals. However, just like this morning, they held the slightest hint of being inquisitive. "What did you say?" I was a fan girl. It kept hitting me over and over; it slapped me in the face. I swallowed my pride. There was only one way I could turn my insult into a truly fan girl like phrase.

A saccharine smile- fake, sugary sweet, but it was genuine enough for him- spread across my lips. I opened my eyes a bit wider, blinking my lashes at him. "I said," I began, using a flirty tone of voice, trying desperately hard to keep back the venom and sarcasm that threatened to take its place, "Your ass looks great today, Sasuke-kun."

His expression turned to indifference at my words. A snort left his mouth as Sasuke turned to leave. I saw him roll his onyx eyes at me before he ran off, kicking the ball. When his back turned to me, I groaned, kicking at the grass near me. I heard the words repeat themselves in my mind scornfully. _Your ass looks great, Sasuke-kun? What the hell is wrong with you Sakura, seriously? _

Glumly, I placed my camera into my bag before swinging it over my back. Oh joy. At least I got paid for mercilessly humiliating myself.

* * *

She was SO checking his ass out. Don't be in denial, Sakura. Haha, I love her. She's so bad at being a fan girl.

I want to thank the following people for taking their time to review my story: yumi-echizen, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, Akemi Akira, -HeavensIntensity, MYinnerNINJA, kerapal bubbles, SasoLOVE111, Cady, LunaReiHarmony, and VALLED. It's really cool because most of you guys are my "regulars": you review for every chapter. I'm touched that you come back to review, honestly. I'm also relieved that you guys like my "non-bitch-from-hell" version of Karin. Whew. Yeah, I was expecting some Karin haters to be all like, what? She's not bitchy enough, and all that. So yeah, major relief there.

Akemi Akira- okay, so I took your advice and drew something for this story. I actually set it as my wallpaper to keep me motivated. *sweatdrop* Anyways, for those of you who want to look at it, it's at DeviantArt. My account is moodyaura, too, so, yeah. If you search the words: President of My Fan Club (the title), it should come out... (choose _Fan Art, Manga/Anime, Traditional, Fan Comics_.) I don't know if writing down links work on here, so yeah. If you guys want, take a look! :) I'd be looking forward to your comments~

However, if you or any of my readers want to post fan art for my story, please go ahead. I'll be honored that you do so. I mean, seriously, it's like the dream of a fanfiction author. So go right ahead. Really.

-HeavensIntensity, bwahahaha, oh yeah she does. *winkwink* MYinnerNINJA: yes, another person who thinks it's funny! I love you!

kerapal bubbles- that's actually a good idea. I have a basic summary of what every chapter will be about up to chapter eleven or so. So I did think of something for Sasuke's POV... however, there's going to be a CHALLENGE of some sort before I put it up. If this story can get** 100 REVIEWS **before CH 9/10, then I'll post it. (After that, it'll return to Sakura's POV) It'll be for fun, of course. So let's see if this proposition of mine works... ;)

Cady, oh you poor, poor thing- why does it start so early? (Or does mine start late? Hmm, questions, questions...) I feel your pain, btw. Good luck with those seniors. Or maybe you'll find a cute one to help you out~ ;)

Anyways, thank you guys so much for your feedback! It really keeps me going. So don't stop with them, okay? :D You're almost at the end of the chapter, and thus I leave you once more- but **REVIEW!** They're like chocolates on a crappy day.

-loooooooooooove, MoodyAura.


	6. meep

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

Languages I've used: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German,** French**

- Début! -

My hands reached out towards my bookcase, pushing the thick textbooks aside to reveal a thin box hidden behind them. I pulled the box out and laid it down on my lap, hesitating, before opening it. Inside are piles of dollars- a lot of tens, fives, and twenties, some fifties, the rare hundred... It was the total amount of money I had gathered since I started my photography business at school. My fingers shook as I counted the total, folding one bill over the other as the number increased.

When it reached to over two thousand, I couldn't bring myself to finish. I wasn't even halfway through with the box yet. My breath hitched as I dropped the bills back into the box, my other hand covering my mouth to quiet myself. The pastel walls of my room blurred through my tears, rolling down my cheeks for reasons I didn't know why. I felt my lips twitch up in their corners; I fell against the bookcase laughing through my tears.

Tears of joy, I realized. For the first time in my life, I had so much money. I wanted to reach over, grab a bundle of it and throw it into the air because, yes, I had so much, it could rain money. Downpour after downpour of colored paper, falling down into my room, I closed my eyes as I imagined this scene. From outside my bedroom, I heard the front door open, a faint jingling of keys signaling that my father was home.

My eyes trailed down, inch by inch, past my light pink walls, past my neatly organized desk, down to that box- that box of wonders. It sat in front of me like a dream. And I knew exactly what to do with it. The top covered the stacks of bills as I grasped its rectangular frame in my hands. It would be seen again momentarily, but this time, by my father.

He was sitting down on a step, taking off his shoes when I approached him. "Did you have a good day at work, Father?" I asked, hiding the box behind my back. His white hair gleamed brightly under the light as he turned to smile at me.

"Yes, I did." His eyes wandered to where my arms were unseen. "Sakura, what are you hiding behind your back?" he asked. Suddenly, his lips formed a smile, large and wide. "A surprise perhaps, for your old man?" My father got up from his sitting position, slowly- his back wasn't feeling well lately- and walked over to where I was. His hands began to reach towards behind my back when, abruptly, he stopped. They moved up to my face, cupping my cheeks. "Sakura, have you been crying?" he asked seriously, furrowing his brows together.

"It's the surprise," I replied, walking back from him. Bending down on my knees, I placed the box in front of me, pushing it towards him lightly. "This," I said, head bent, hands curled on my knees, "Is for you, Father."

It is rather hard to picture a frown in a voice, but I heard it clearly in my father's. "Sakura, what are you doing? Get up and explain the sudden formality."

"The box," I insisted. Peering up slightly, most of my face hidden by my bangs, I saw my father bend down and sit across from me. The box was between us. He reached over and opened the cover slowly, before dropping it at the sight of what was inside.

The photos, the urge to make money- none of it was for me. It never was. Although, I am not ashamed to admit, I kept some of the profit for myself. But even that was not a lot compared to what I had earned, and counted towards my college spendings. There was a silence that followed after, seemingly incessant and thick, if it could possibly be described that way.

"Sakura, where did you get this money from?" He stared at it like a foreigner does when they first enter a new country. It was like a dream, a vision, and the second it is touched, it will disappear- I know those were his thoughts. I know because I dreamt, I envisioned, but I touched, and it never went away. It grew, blossoming into amounts I couldn't imagine.

My father's voice sounded almost angry. "I earned money doing photography for the students in my school," I replied. Then, I bent forward, bending down until my hair fell all over my face, and my forehead was almost touching the wooden floor. "Please accept this, Father."

I heard a quick intake of breath. "I will not," he snapped. His tone was vicious, mixed with surprise and... guilt. My heart tore on the inside at his words. Slowly, I lifted my head up, daring to look at the man who spoke like a stranger to me.

"Do you not believe me?" I asked, hurt. The hand resting near his knee curled into a fist, his arm trembling with the force he was using. His face was contorted with pain. From surprise, I jumped out to him, placing my hand over his. It uncurled under mine, his expression softening. And unexpectedly, my father drew me in an embrace, wrapping his arms around me.

He leaned his head against my shoulder. I felt him break under me. "Yes, my daughter. I believe you. I always do," he answered quietly. "It is not you I am angry at, but I. I could not say it before when you were working, but now I can. Sakura, you should be studying. You are the student, the child. I am the parent. Making money is my responsibility."

"And keeping you healthy is mine." I shot back, feeling frustration rise up in me. "You are getting old, Father. Your back hurts. Your neck hurts. Do you think I don't notice? I am young, and I can work. Photography isn't difficult for me- it is like a hobby I am getting paid for."

He sighed long in my arms, once, and he picked up the pieces that broke under our embrace and put them back together, bit by bit. And when I pulled back, I saw my father. "Even if I told you to stop, you wouldn't listen to me- not your old man." He smiled weakly at me. Pulling me to him, he put a hand on my head, running his fingers through my long pink tresses, with me curling into his chest- something we did long, long ago.

"I cannot tell you what to do. A time comes when you must make your own decisions," he said, his voice tired and sad, "I am a father, not a dictator. Unfortunately." I heard him chuckle lightly at this, and I smiled into his shirt. "So, Sakura, I want you to stop when you can tell yourself to. And when that time comes, don't hesitate to do so. Just keep in mind this," I gazed up towards him as he closed his eyes, letting out a quiet breath. "Life is not eternal." I bit down on my lip before replying.

"Yes, Father. But..." His green eyes stared inquisitively down into mine, "Will you use the money I gave you?" His gaze turned to the ceiling, a sad smile on his lips.

"Yes, my daughter. Yes." I felt a drop of water hit the top of my head.

Steadily, my fan girl like persona towards Konoha High School's treasured "King" was improving. It was a convincing act, and fooled everyone to think that I am just like the majority of my contemporaries: a Sasuke obsessed fan girl. That is, all except the ones who see through my facade but wisely chose to stay silent, and, of course, Hyuuga Hinata. The dark-haired, light-eyed girl who was the first friend I ever made in this school and the one I treasure the most now. She is the caring, kind soul with the all-knowing eyes, the ones that search deep into yours.

Her gray irises are inquisitive, but her lips never form to speak the question aloud. I understand her enough to know what she means. One day, I will take the time to explain, as she keeps on watching, with confusion, at my crestfallen expression. Lightly, I shake my head at her and mouth the word, "Later." Hinata nods and gets up from her seat, making her way to the classroom door to exit before peering over to take one glance at my face. By now, the crushed look is gone and replaced with a delighted smile. She leaves with concern, and I know her perplexity grows.

Currently, it was after school, and the homeroom was empty on this Friday afternoon save two people. Konoha High required their students to clean their homeroom class at the end of every week. This was lucky for us, as the other schools usually had their students clean it everyday. And instead of the entire class cleaning the room, lottery tickets were drawn at the end of afternoon homeroom to choose two people who had to stay and clean. Once, Naruto was chosen five times in a row, much to his misfortune. However, to Hinata's luck, due to her rather obvious crush on the boy, she was with him three out of those five times. (Me personally, I think Kakashi-sensei rigs it.)

The students in our homeroom were tidy, and it wasn't laborious to do. But for two people, it was still work. Most of the time, I didn't mind being chosen. Rather, it was who I was chosen to clean with that determined my mood for that session. And today, my mood was downright peeved. Why, you may ask? Because standing there, only a few feet from where I was, looking equally livid as I was (but less concealed than mine) was no other than Uchiha Sasuke: my cleaning partner. I swear this is rigged.

About a week had passed since the_ incident _that happened between us. That was, hopefully, enough time for him to forget about my humiliating comment about his ass. The only good that came out of it was that I now knew how to give proper compliments.

And, as if I had to prove myself- and also because the silence between us was getting unnaturally long, especially because there was a "fan girl" in the same room as him- I ventured to give him one. "Sasuke-kun," I said, smiling, "Aren't you happy to be in the same room as me?" Oh wait- that wasn't a compliment. Unfortunately, it reminded me of Naruto's lewd comment in English (which I had the misfortune of listening to, since I sat next to him): _Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?_ (Which made Kiba point out flatly that the line was for girls only and Sai to remark that even if Naruto did have a wand in his pocket, it would be so small nobody would notice it anyway.)

Why must I sit next to these idiots? As I was lost in my thoughts, cheeks reddened at the memory, I didn't notice as Sasuke walked over to the blackboard, picking up the eraser. "You sweep," he stated flatly, and turned his back to me. His voice brought me back to reality- a nasty, unwanted reality, but it was better than reminiscing on the perverted conversations I had to listen to.

His command angered me slightly, ordering me around like I was a pet, but I ignored it, glowering at him for a moment before complying with his wishes. The silence that resumed between us went on for too long. I had to say something if I was going to play my part right. "Sasuke-kun," and unexpectedly, he turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting toward me with indifference. At his sudden movement, my mind forgot the intended compliment. I scrambled to find the right words. "You, err, clean very well, nee?"

I forced myself to smile widely, trying not to grimace at my mistake, as I blinked my lashes flirtatiously. Were his cleaning skills that magnificent? Did I honestly care? The first thing that caught my eye when I started to panic was the broom in my hands. Immediately, I associated it with a praise directed to Sasuke. Thankfully, my comment stayed valid as I saw the impeccable chalkboard behind him, clean of any white marks.

He resumed his attention back to the board and raised the sponge, dragging it down, leaving one, gleaming wet line that stood out against the cloudy blackboard. I turned the other way as a silent breath of relief left me. I finished sweeping the classroom, not bothering to comment any further. Sasuke was about halfway through cleaning the blackboard when I had placed the broom and dustpan into the closet. He was working methodically, taking his time.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Do you want any help with that?" He ignored me and continued to work in his lethargic pace. His silence was so... annoying. It was as if Sasuke half-expected me to decipher his quietness for an answer. Hiding my frustration, I replied, "All right then." I tucked a loose strand of pink hair behind my ear before approaching.

I picked up a spare sponge and dipped it into the water bowl, which was next to him, that Sasuke had brought. Walking over to the opposite side of the board, I wiped it down, leaving a trail. I repeated this process a couple of times on the same line, but not as meticulous as Sasuke was being. When I turned to go over to his side for the bowl, I found it on the ground a few feet from where I was, in the middle of us. He didn't say a word, looking nonchalant as I glanced over, but I knew it was him. "Thank you."

"Hn."

Soon, we were close to each other, about a foot or so apart, almost meeting. He was too absorbed in the process to notice my close presence. I could tell because he hadn't moved away. As nice as his gesture had been, I was still a fan girl, and therefore, a potential threat.

My eyes found a missed spot of white chalk, conspicuous against the sea of black. Apparently, Sasuke had noticed it too, as he reached for the board eraser between us the same moment I did. Our fingers brushed- it felt like a sting of reality, that this dark-haired boy was really right next to me, and the touch of his warm, soft skin proved it. It felt odd. Strange. There really isn't a word that could properly describe the sensation.

We caught each other's gaze for a moment, his obsidian eyes fixed with surprise at the sudden contact. Sasuke drew his hand back quickly, the emotion gone and replaced with a cold glare. Flushed, my fingers grasped the frame of the eraser as I raised it to rub off the white mark.

"Sorry," I muttered, my eyes flickering over to him. This time, I got no remark. His lips were curled to a frown. We worked in silence for the rest of the time, careful and aware of the short distance between us. All I could think was that it was the first time we touched.

* * *

The water bowl moment was unplanned. I think it was Sasuke's way of saying "thank you" for helping him. I don't think it was that out of character, but... hm. Whatever, I like it in there. :) Ah, but unfortunately, Sasuke blames her for the whole touching bit. *sigh* And, by the way, Sakura makes a shitload of money doing her business. And I mean A LOOOOOOOOOOOOT. Yeah, that's all I gotta say for this one.

Sakura still hates his attitude and Sasuke hates her for being a "fan girl." Misunderstandings are so fun, ne~?

But HOLY CRAP, even more important: I have over FIFTY reviews now! Like, daaayum, I'm halfway there! You guys seriously rock- whoever reviewed this story. So, a big THANK YOU to:** Lover89, SweetRevenge1, AnimeFreak218, VALLED, Akemi Akira, Double Mocha, RangikuHime, Sakurachan623, kerapal bubbles, XxCatyxX, GoldenKitsuneHime13, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, gaarasracoon, SHINIGAMI to TENSHI, SasoLOVE111**, and **TigerLilyette** who took the time to comment on this story. I love you guys so much!

Thank you, SHINIGAAMI to TENSHI, for reviewing all my chapters in one row. :) Yes, McDonalds really is that bad. I think they're secretly plotting to take over the world. mmhm. If Sasuke were real, I personally would think he was just a really, really, incredibly hot asshole. I mean, his whole "i'm so much better than you" attitude is not cute in real life. It's jerky and antisocial-ish. Sasuke did think Sakura called him asshole, but he's not so sure, seeing how she's so "devoted" to him. And the development is going to be slow. Realistically slow.

gaarasracoon- wait, what about you? I am seriously confused. ._." GoldenKitsuneHime13, yeah, I know. He's suspicious, but not too much. She is the President, after all. XxCatyxX: NOO, say what? No cute seniors? :( Sad face. Keep looking, hun. You'll find a cutie soon! If not, move on to nearby schools! (But omigosh, I have this major eyecandy who sits across from me in English. SOOOOOOO cute. *squeal*)

kerapal bubbles: LOL. Hmm, yes, Sakura should've. He certainly deserved it... ahh, her time will come soon. Double Mocha- thank you very much! I accept criticism, just, erm, no flames... I'm sensitive. *goes to corner* Anyways, Sakura will blow up on him. Soon. One day. But it will come, so just wait. :) Akemi Akira- haha, thank you, and thank you for the comment on DA. if you can manage, i'd LOOVE to see your fan art for this story! :D

Thank you guys once more for reviewing my story! It means a lot, really. Questions? Comments? Critique? To do so, click the bottom below that says, umm, well, I forget, but please **REVIEW**!

looooooooooove, moodyaura ;O

p.s. hmm, i had something important to say, but i forgot what it was...

p.p.s. had a nice first week of school, ladies and gents? tell me all about it if you review. share your suffering, your drama, and your laughs with me. :)

p.p.p.s. i can't wait to get a good night's sleep. school is killing me. i have to walk from the first to tenth floor everyday... ughhh.

6


	7. fiddleswat

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

Languages I've used: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, **Traditional Chinese,**

- 開始! -

It was March, the last month of my first year at Konoha High School, and on the twenty-fourth, a Thrusday, the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club held their first official auction. It was in the auditorium, which accommodated a total of about 500 people. Almost half of the red, plush movie-theater-like seats were filled that evening. Tickets cost a dollar each, but for five bucks- and as always, first come first serve- the lucky ones would get the front rows, getting a perfect view of the items being sold.

When I mentioned the idea of an auction to the members in, I add proudly, our new and commodious club room, the responses were eager and excited. It was decided that my photography wouldn't be the only presentation during our first show. My, ahem, "Cabinet" (as the American government calls it) and I chose from a selection of girls who auditioned to be part of the auction. We got numerous amounts of paintings, T-shirts and clothes, magnets, ceramics, and all sorts of mediums of Uchiha Sasuke based fan work. From them we gathered the best ones and asked the girls to make a couple of more pieces to sell.

I told them the profit they make from the auction will be entirely theirs. The tickets, however, would be used for the club, though I don't know what we could possibly spend it on. The audience tonight consisted of the girls from our school and, shockingly, many female students from nearby private and public high schools. The event had gained much popularity throughout the local area. It was heard some young, affluent heiresses were coming to check out the auction as well.

Yamanaka Ino was decided to host the entire event, describing the items as a couple of students brought them on stage, and ringing off the offers. Next to her, a diffident second-year was writing down who bought what, and such details. Each member of the audience was given a number, which they raised to identify themselves and every item being sold had a letter. After the auction was over, the ones who bought something would line up in front of the stage, and their purchase would be given to them.

My photography came out every so often, bursting out arbitrarily between the mugs and paintings and such. The grand finale for the night was one of the shots from Karin's request. (I gave hers a while ago, a piercing shriek escaping her lips at the first sight of it) No, it wasn't the one of him half-naked, though that one will show up, but later. It was him kicking the ball in mid-air, an intense look in his eyes as sweat rolled down the side of his face.

The response from the audience was something similar to Karin's, but (besides being even more deafening) 350 times worse. A thick roll of money was pocketed in my bag from tonight's earnings. I offered to pay Ino for her incredible hosting, but she declined. "I love being on stage," she explained, pushing the bills back to me, "I don't need to be paid for something like that, but thank you, Sakura."

It was after the auction, when everyone was gone. The remaining group of girls consisted of those who worked on stage, were part of my Cabinet, who made something for the show, or were just lingering around. We were cleaning up the auditorium, sweeping the papers and trash that was left over. It was much more difficult than tidying up a classroom. The theater hall was spacious, but we managed to get it done.

After the lengthy task, some of the girls left, but the ones who stayed, including me, sat on the theater or nearby chairs, relaxing. "Thanks everyone, for helping out," I said, my hands enclosed around a can of soda Emi had snuck up from the cafeteria. "Today was a success! Cheers!" Raising my cup up to the air, the others followed, and we clinked them with the ones next to us, laughing.

Among the animated chatter that followed came the voice of the third-year leader, Tsukimori Ai. "Sakura-chan," the upperclassman began, and a hushed silence fell over the room, "The girls and I were talking- that is, the entire fan club- and we were wondering about next year's President." I nodded, and she went on, sipping at her soda, "As a whole, we're very pleased with what you've done this year." My cheeks flushed at the compliment as I thanked her. "And so, we would like to ask you to be President next year. Of course, at the end of your second-year, it would be customary for a vote to decide on this, but if everything goes like this year, I'm sure you'll have no trouble being President for your three years at Konoha High. So, do you accept?"

Most clubs, as Ai-senpai stated, vote for their President. It would be no trouble to elect one before the school year ended, I am sure, but they have chosen not to. The upperclassmen and the fan club actually want me to be President next year; to be asked something like this, especially since it is such a high rank, was an honor. Does it matter if I have to pretend to be a fan girl for another year? I would have to keep it up, anyways, since everyone believes I am one.

I could also lead the auction and other events. And besides, I've grown to love my position and the fan girls that are part of this club. It actually sounded fun. "I do. Thank you very much, senpai," I replied, bowing my head at her. There was a round of applause from the girls in the theater.

"Cheers!" Ino cried, standing up, "For Haruno Sakura as President!" I laughed, a warm, tingling feeling spreading through my body, reaching the tips of my fingers. And I know it wasn't the soda.

Morning homeroom the next day was just like usual: I came in early and waited for the others to join me. The only thing that changed was that Sasuke resumed sitting in his original seat, but that had happened about a month ago. Apparently, the girls up front were more bothersome than the one in the back of the room. I was surprised at his approach, mostly because it had been a little while after our cleaning partnership. He nodded his head at me slightly before continuing his usual routine of ignoring me.

Ino sat in the seat in front of me, her luscious, blonde hair spread out all over my desk as she fumbled with her fingers to make it into a braid. On to my right, next to Sasuke, was the demure Hyuuga heiress, an amused smile on her face at the sight. "It's March," she stated thoughtfully, her light-colored orbs staring off into the distance. "The first-year is almost over... on the twenty-fifth, I believe."

My head nodded in agreement, flipping a page in the fashion magazine Ino had brought in. Her hair covered the page once more in seconds. Then, I straightened, realizing something. "My birthday's coming up soon!" With the auction and Presidential duties (and having fun with my friends with final exams over), I had forgotten about my upcoming birthday.

The blonde paused in her work, and looked up from her hair to me. "When is it?" she asked, blue eyes wide. Oh dear, my gut feeling was telling me something.

"Twenty-eighth," I replied. It was only a few days after school finished.

Immeidately, Ino jumped out of her seat, the braid untangling as her fingers fell to her sides. "What? Are you serious?" Her eyes trailed to her loose tresses as her face fell in disappointment. "Oh, great, now I have to start over again," she groaned. "Screw this. Whatever." Ino flipped her hair back and tied it up with a scrunchie. Then, she turned her attention back to me, her index finger jabbing my face suddenly. A devious grin was on her face as she told me, "You are getting a present. And I know just what to get you!" Then she was gone, grabbing a couple of girls nearby as she dragged them out the door.

The same amused smile was on Hinata's face when I turned to her. It was soon replaced with the same inquisitiveness from yesterday, her eyes probing. "So?" she asked softly, her voice trailing off.

"Later," I said. Hinata raised an inky brow at me, the tips of her lips curling ever-so-slightly to form a hint of a frown. She thought I wasn't going to tell her! "I promise," I pleaded, "It's just that people are listening." I held my hand out to her, pinky pointed out to her. The whisper of reluctance turned to a smile as she nodded, and hooked her pinky with mine, pressing our thumbs together.

Hinata must have been pretty curious about what was going on as she led me outside after school. We sat down on a bench near a field, the shade covering us from the bright sun light. "Explain, please," she said. Even though her words were polite, the tone of her voice was, in her way, commanding. A sigh left my lips, my gaze lowered to my clasped hands. I wondered where to begin with all this.

"You know how during the year I took a photo of Sasuke-kun?" The dark-haired girl nodded, her long tresses falling down in front of her. "Well, I needed some money for, you know." I looked up at her, and Hinata nodded once more, "So I got offers for the photo, and people started paying money for that. It got big. Then, Ino and Emi managed to convince me to become President of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club because of it. The upperclassmen liked me, as well as the first-years, so they asked me to." The furrowing of her brows told me she still didn't know where all this was going to. "And, well, they were very persuasive, so I said yes. I like my job and everything. The girls are nice and friendly. It's really fun," I explained. That was half of the whole situation.

"Then what's the problem?" Hinata asked slowly. I could trust Hinata- she would never blurt my secrets out to anyone. However, if I told her the full story, she would know about my impure motives of being President. I wasn't quite sure how she would take it- could she possibly understand my situation? How I really didn't mean to bring this all upon myself? But a promise was a promise- I had to tell her either way. "You can trust me," she said softly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Her smile was compassionate, and I knew what I had to do. A deep breath escaped me. She would be the first and last person to find out about my secret. "Even though I am President of Sasuke's fan club," I began, my fingers tightening as they dug into my skirt, "I don't like him. At all." I heard a gasp leave her lips, and waited for Hinata's response. There was a hush for a moment, and puzzled, I picked my head up, wondering at her silence.

The first thing I noticed was that she wasn't looking at me, and I knew that meant she was furious. But, strangely, her gaze wasn't fixated on the floor, like it usually would be when she was mad; rather, her head was turned, focused on a point only a few yards from where we were. Hinata's eyes were wide, her lips parted in surprise.

I could understand her astonishment, but there was no need to look away from me- especially since I could tell she wasn't angry. Before I could say this aloud to her, there was a rustle of noise, like footsteps against grass. Suddenly, as a sense of apprehension filled me, I knew what Hinata was looking at. Hesitantly, I swerved my eyes over to the direction of the sound, praying it wasn't what I thought it was.

But a shoe stepped out from behind the tree trunk, ending all hope...

* * *

OOOH, look, cliffhanger! *points* (I can't believe I actually managed to make a cliffhanger.) Now **REVIEW **if you want to find out who it is! And if you guys wanna take a crack at it, just say who you think it is in your review. Whew, this is one of my shorter chapters: only about 2300 words. Oh golly, that's still a lot.

This chapter got A LOT of reviews- I'm really, really happy about the feedback this story is getting. Thank you SO MUCH to all of you that reviewed this story: **Kaelin, zan_TOP, SweetRevenge1, RangikuHime, Akemi Akira, asdf, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, gaarasracoon, Animegal9215, Cady, SasoLOVE111, kerapal bubbles, nightDREAMERms, Asha3, GoldenKitsuneHime13, AnimeFreak218, **and **VALLED.** You guys ROCK so much! So, my replies to ya'll:

Kaelin- hmm, yes that is true. But, considering that Sasuke thinks Sakura is a fan girl, he wouldn't like her at all. Even now, he's showing subtle partiality to her over the other fan girls, but he doesn't like her. I like my stories to be as realistic as possible, so Sasuke isn't going to start liking Sakura right away. Sorry, though. I really try to put in some moments to make up for their lacking romance. :(

SweetRevenge1- thanks! I hope school goes well for you too. :) ARGHH, the first month is halfway through... Akemi Akira- I would love any kind of fan art you would draw for this story. Please do what's easiest for you, with exams happening and all. (Although, I would love to see the soccer scene btwn. Sasu and Saku drawn out...) asdf- yes, there will be something in Sasuke's POV. Don't worry. It's coming up real soon. ;D

xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx- oh my gosh, really? You go to a military school? That is SO COOL! ._. you got skills, hun. I can't even get dressed in 45 seconds... OOHHHH, boy problems! Totally not ignoring: do tell. :D gaarasracoon- OHHHHHHH. I see. I'm a bit slow, yeah...Animegal2915- Thank you! I love how Sakura's so bad at it too. :D I try to keep them as realistic as possible!

Cady- O.O whoa. Talk about drama. I hope the guy's all right though. SasoLOVE111- Sasuke's POV is coming up very soon. I promise. kerapal bubbles- yeah, 10 floors. I have to go from 1 to 10 everyday too. *weeps* And thank you! :) nightDREAMERms- yes, that's also a very good reason for Sakura. Thank you for thinking of it. :) She has a lot of reasons for doing so, though. Asha3- haha, thank you. I'll try to finish this, really.

GoldenKitsuneHime13- oh wow, that's so sweet of her. I think it's cool there's someone like that in real life. thanks, I have this obsession on being realistic, so I love it when people tell me that. :) (I LOVE NARU TOO! he's sooooo sweet.)


	8. shuck bucket

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

Languages I've used: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, **Greek**

- έναρξη! -

A black oxford was the first thing my eyes caught as it stepped out of the shadows. The next was a pristine, beige pants leg, associated in my mind with an all too familiar and embarrassing memory with the Uchiha himself. I couldn't speak as I opened my mouth to say something, anything to explain the situation in front of- of-

"Sakura-chan?" The voice was a pitch higher than the husky tone of Uchiha Sasuke, and the suffix used after my name only proved further that it wasn't him. Instantly, my body sagged with release as a sigh left me. It didn't occur to me that having another person hear my confession was just as bad, maybe even worse, than having Sasuke hear it. However, it brought comfort to know I was spared today of his clutches.

A cry of surprise left Hinata's lips, her eyes still occupied by the same spot. I saw her face reddened, a brilliant crimson slowly taking over her face. I had a strange feeling I knew who it was. "Naruto-kun?" I called, half-guessing the name. The blond stepped out, fully revealing his presence. His cheeks were flushed- most likely from being caught in the act of eavesdropping on a secret. I felt growing irritation at him, wondering why he couldn't have made his presence known before he heard everything. Or better yet, why didn't he leave before he did?

Naruto took notice of my deepening frown and rubbed the back of his neck, his cerulean eyes shifting upwards before returning to me. He grinned, letting out a nervous chuckle as he said sheepishly, "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean to- well, you know, listen in and, um-"

My eyes narrowed sharply at him. "How much did you hear?" Why, oh why couldn't he have come a little later? From behind me, I heard the faint cries of girls. The trees, the metal fence near the benches were we sat, the squeals- the familiarity of it all was suddenly explained, quite clearly, with Naruto's presence: we were in the east field, near the soccer field where he practiced. It was the same section where I took my photographs.

The blond looked apprehensive at replying. A deep sigh left through my nostrils, my lips pursed to form a thin line. I forced my expression to soften, and repeated my question once more. "Everything," he replied, cautiously. I really didn't need to be hearing this right now. Unconsciously, a groan left my mouth, leaning my hand against my forehead.

And much to my surprise, the dark-haired girl next to me spoke the thoughts that were running through my head, not a stutter in her voice. "Naruto-kun," Hinata said, as I peered at her, her face grim, "What you have heard is to be kept as an absolute secret. Not a single person is to know about this, do you understand?" The blond looked taken back at the severity of her tone- and the fact that her sentence wasn't distorted with her timid nature. He nodded his head furiously in response. And then, her shyness returned, her gaze lowered to the ground. "Th-thank you." She looked at me, as if she were waiting for something.

"Oh! Thank you, Naruto-kun," I said.

"No problem." He looked flustered, his eyes fixed on the floor. A twinkling melody filled the silence that followed after, and I jumped at the unexpected noise. Hinata reached into her bag, cheeks red, and took out her cell phone. She spoke into it quietly, conversing with, by the tone and words, her father. She closed it and mumbled an apology, saying that she had to leave. Bowing at us, she said her goodbyes as we waved at her.

After Hinata left, the same hushed air returned between Naruto and I. Once, our eyes met, and I saw the reluctance and curiosity in his crimsoned face. Finally, he spoke, his voice unusually soft for his rambunctious demeanor. "Sakura-chan," he began, his face reddening even more, if possible, "So, you don't like Sasuke?"

Was that the question he was working so hard to bring up? Though his sudden introvert attitude was indeed puzzling, I didn't bother to inquire him about it. "No, I don't," I replied, "But that has to be a secret too, okay?" And, even more perplexing, a wide grin appeared on his face as he nodded.

"Sure, sure, no problem!" He looked rather silly, smiling so goofily, but I suppose that's Naruto for you. He looked down at his shoes, and said, "It's good." Naruto paused, eyes darting to me before going back to their original object of attention, "That you don't like him, that is." I stayed quiet, staring at him with curiosity. It wasn't as though Sasuke was a bad person, especially since they were such close friends- right? Then why...But before I could finish my thought, his voice broke me out of my reverie. "Well, bye Sakura-chan," Naruto said quickly and rushed off onto the field, leaving me behind.

And then it hit me. The blushing, the anxiety- how did I not notice it when it was done everyday by my own best friend? Naruto _liked _me. Now it was my turn to turn red at my obliviousness. Uzumaki Naruto had a crush on me. The love of my best friend's life was infatuated with _me_, not her. I swung my bag over my back, a frown tugging on my lips.

Could my life get any more screwed up?

My question was answered on the Monday morning of March twenty-first, after a weekend of relaxation and pondering over the events from Friday. Approximately four days were left until school ended. I entered Konoha High early, as usual, making my way upstairs to our third-floor homeroom. The door was closed, and the glass window that provided sight into the room was covered with a piece of white paper.

Odd, I thought, my hand grasping the metal handle of the door. I pushed it open and was met with darkness. "Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the stillness of the room. It was a silly thing to do, seeing the apparent emptiness of the room, but the situation itself was so bizarre, I did it, just in case. (It always happens in movies, so what the heck?) My hand raised itself to the light switch, and turned it on as the darkness was overcome by light.

"HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY SAKURA!" Ten voices screamed at me, some of them ending with a suffix, but for the most part, it was said in unison. And I won't lie- I was about to scream. Not from happiness at this, erm, lovely surprise, but because it had literally scared the shit out of me. I placed a hand on my heart, trying to ease its erratic beating.

The room was decorated with brightly colored balloons, and a sign was tacked against the wall, proclaiming the same words they shouted at me, followed by smaller words I couldn't make out from where I was. The chalkboard was a haphazard mess, and I pitied Kakashi-sensei, who had to erase it. It was covered with signatures of my friends, classmates, and club members.

I couldn't stop the smile as it widened on my lips, my eyes glancing all around the room with pleasure. My face hurt from grinning too much, so I laughed. "You didn't have to do this," I said warmly, cheeks flushing from bliss. This was the best surprise party I had ever gotten. I couldn't believe they went through all this trouble for me. "Thank you so much." My voice was strong with emotion, and I swallowed the choking feeling in my throat that told me I was going to cry. Blinking back tears, I took in everything in the room once more, until they landed on Sasuke.

Who was wearing a bow. On his head. And Ino was next to him, smirking devilishly. Could my life possibly get any more screwed up? The answer was so obvious at this point: YES. Oh Kami, why do I have a bad feeling about this?

* * *

Yes, I will so leave you there. Major NARUSAKU moment up there. I feel so bad for Hinata though. *sigh* Oh, by the way, the next chapter will be in _Sasuke's POV_, which will be fascinating, considering he's all tied up for a certain someone. *winkwink* I know kerapal bubbles has been waiting long enough for this. (Sorry!) So, _**REVIEW!**_

My lovely reviewers: **rainbow spell, SweetRevenge1, Double Mocha ., angie, Medive, AnimeFreak218, VALLED, MistyFire's Code is Secure, cherryblossomdream, AkemiAkira, xxxMeNtaLCoNsTIpaTiONxxx, CatchingDreams, kerapal bubbles, jonie92, Cady, Asha3, RangikuHime, Aleshia Loyola, jjayandjjae, Autumn Misery, Animegal9215, TigerLilyette, SHINIGAMI to TENSHI, Luna Rei Harmony, GoldenKitsuneHime13, SasoLOVE111, **and **gaarasracoon!** Thank you all SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you all! You guys really keep me going on, especially when I'm too lazy to write up a chapter. ;D

Double Mocha .- you were right. You know me so well. :D And here's the list: (from ch2 to ch 8- ch 1 has no song)

the fame (lady gaga), beautiful dirty rich (lady gaga), if you can afford me (katy perry), i like big butts (sir mix a lot), every time we touch (cascada), sweet dream (beyonce), realize (colbie caillat),

Akemi Akira- hmm, ok. I was thinking that Sakura's sitting on a bench, surprised, camera on floor. Sasuke's near the fence that separates them, soccer ball under his foot, smirking. It's a pretty, spring day. Yeah. :D Please take your time. But I can't wait to see it!

SweetRevenge1: sorry, it's not Sasuke yet. :) But when he does find out, his expression will be priceless. (...I think. I have yet to think about that chapter...)

cherryblossomdream- that's so evil, i never thought of that...brilliant. hmm... *starts thinking*

Asha3- Sorry it wasn't Sasuke, but he's getting a much more exciting confession. And I'm going to make sure Sakura insults him properly there. :) I'll really try and get there relationship going somewhere, I promise. Just stick with me please. *puppydogface*

Aleshia Loyola- uwah, I guess I'm really lucky then! :) Thanks!

Guesses: multiple guesses count

Sasuke: 11

Other: 4

I have no clue: 2

O.O" I'm getting the feeling I disappointed a lot of you. I apologize (eleven times!) to you guys. SORRY!

-looooooooove, moodyaura. :)

p.s. bwahahahha, cliffhanger number two! success or no?

p.p.s. i love ino's present for sakura.

p.p.p.s. i just realized how short this chapter is. damn. o.o


	9. middle murdle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek,** Portuguese,**

- começo! -

It was Thursday morning, March seventeenth. Only a week and one day left to deal with these annoying fan girls and then I was free. An inaudible sigh escaped through my barely parted lips. The idiot Naruto was talking about a show he watched last night about ninjas and their "chakra" or something insipid that would attract his attention. Sometimes, I wonder why I befriended this fool. Something tugs at the corner of my lip as I watch him, forcing it upwards.

"What? Are you serious?" Ah, yet another irritating blonde that I have the misfortune of knowing: Yamanaka Ino. From the corner of my eye, I watched her scowl at something next to her. (Her...hair, perhaps? No, girls weren't that strange, were they?) Was her voice naturally that loud? The similarities between her and Naruto were so startling, I would've believed they were twins separated at birth. "You are getting a present! And I know just what to get you!"

Her eyes turned to me for a second, and grinning, winked before running off to the front of the room, grabbing a couple of girls with her. How annoying. All of them, my so called "fan girls." It was disgusting how they threw themselves at me- didn't they have any decency? Any respect for themselves?

Recently, however, about a few months ago, I had noticed a considerable change in their character. They had gotten quieter, but only by a little. They had also stopped jumping me every morning. I didn't know what made them act so differently, but I honestly didn't care much for the reason. They were losing interest in me, and that was all I needed to know.

The door to the classroom swung open, and our white-haired teacher came in, obviously late. "YOU'RE LATE KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Half the class shouted, with Naruto standing on his chair, pointing an accusing finger at him. It was our homeroom tradition of some sort. I snorted as Kakashi began some half-ass excuse containing an old lady and her cat. Bull shit.

I heard giggles come from the seat next to me. Only then, I noticed the Hyuuga girl was sitting next to me. She was related to the second-year, Hyuuga Neji, captain of the school's soccer team. She was the exact opposite of him: a demure, stuttering mess. Oh, and she was completely in love with a dense idiot whose name shall be unmentioned. And somehow, like in those cheesy chick-flicks (not that I watch any), he was the only one who didn't know about it.

"Oh, Hinata, come on, he's definitely lying. The only time I'd believe him is if he said he was with some woman," spoke a girlish voice, too shrill and high-pitched to belong to the soft-spoken Hyuuga heiress. I caught a glimpse of pink hair before it disappeared behind Hinata's frame. The girl was a scholarship student; name Haruno Sakura, which suited her hair color perfectly. (Was it natural? I always wondered about that.) That must have been who Ino was talking to.

She was the President of my fan club, surprisingly: this obscure first-year that showed blatant indifference towards me for half of the year, and then, suddenly, becomes this spokesperson for all Uchiha Sasuke fan girls. I wouldn't have minded her if she remained in that apathetic state throughout the year. But no, she had to go around and take pictures of me. Snapping random shots of me is irritating, especially when all I want is to be left alone.

One time this girl had the audacity to come to the soccer field and take pictures of me half-naked. It's bad enough I couldn't ram the ball at the pesky screaming fans already there, but to record it to memory through a photograph pissed the hell out of me. I kicked the ball at her (it didn't hit her, I regret) and she dropped her camera from shock. She deserved it though, for snooping around and invading my privacy. It was satisfying how angry she got.

I could've sworn she was going to call me an asshole that time, but I must have misheard- she said something about my ass instead. Seriously, how pathetic. She does a pretty crappy job at being a fan girl too, tossing out lame come-ons to me. Sometimes I get the urge to laugh at how terrible they are, but I hold it in, lest she think I like her or something. God forbid.

But sometimes I wonder at the reason why she's so bad at it. Then, memories start popping up: when she almost said "Asshole" (supposedly), or cried out "NO!" to Kakashi-sensei when we were trapped in a classroom, or other times, when it looks like she's trying too hard in front of Yamanaka or me. And, lastly, most importantly, her photography business.

Apparently, Sakura gets paid by other girls to take pictures of me. Before I found out this piece of information, I had thought she did it of her own freewill. Going back halfway during the first-year, I remember when I saw a multiple photographs of me on her desk. The first thing I thought was what the hell is she doing with all that? My question was answered when a hoard of girls left my desk with cash in their hands, swarming around Sakura's desk.

Around the same time her photography began taking off, Sakura became by "fan girl." Could this be linked together? I snorted at the paranoia of my thinking. She was just another fan girl, nothing more. My attention focused onto Kakashi-sensei as he began the morning announcements.

In the afternoon, I understood what Ino's "present" for their dearly, beloved President was. I was eating the school lunch in peace (unagi with rice and gyoza), listening to Kiba and Naruto bicker over something about wands when she and a couple of girls trailing behind her approached me. "Ne, Sasuke-kun," Ino began, silencing the boys as they turned to stare at us, "Can you come with us for a sec?"

Was she delusional? I would rather run around in my underwear than go somewhere, alone, with a couple of fan girls. Being completely obsessed with me, there was no idea what they would do to me. I was fast, but it was five against one. The blonde saw the answer in my eyes (Hell no.) and sighed, rolling hers.

"We won't do anything, geez," Ino huffed, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. Her long ponytail tickled Shikamaru, who was lying down on a bench, and he sneezed in his sleep. She scrunched up her face at him, and grabbed her hair away. "Gross." She turned her attention back to me, smiling innocently. "I promise, and it won't be that far, just a couple of yards away from here. The guys can see you if we happen to molest you," she added teasingly.

I heard snickers come from the table around me. "Just go," Naruto said loudly, a grin on his face, "Or are you too much of a pussy to do it?" Glowering, I gave him the finger before walking off with Ino, who was smirking victoriously. "USE PROTECTION!" He called behind me, the laughter growing louder. Oh trust me, I'm not the one who's going to need protection after I come back.

Scowling, I leaned against a tree trunk as the group of girls talked amongst themselves. Moments later, Ino walked over to me. "Okay, so Sakura's the President of your fan club, as you know," she started, "And her birthday's on the twenty-eighth. We wanted to give her a present before the first-year ended. That present's a hug from you. In exchange, we'll leave you alone till school ends on the twenty-fifth."

A hug? They wanted me to give Sakura a hug? Was I hearing right?

Taking my silence as a sign to go on, she did, and spoke, "So, no fan girling, no squealing, or crowding around your desk. We'll say hi and everyday greetings like that, but other than that we'll leave you alone. Treat you like a regular classmate- 'kay?" Ino looked hopefully at me, her smile wide.

My eyes gazed thoughtfully at the sky, hand on my chin. "And you'll leave me alone the entire next week?" Ino nodded her head eagerly at me, blonde tresses bouncing up and down with her. I snorted. This had to be a joke-it was the only logical explanation- because that was the most pitiful offer I had ever heard. It wasn't worth sacrificing my body for, especially since that pink-haired fan girl would take it the wrong way. "Hell no."

Then, the oddest thing happened: the blonde smiled at me mischievously, rather amused at my reply. "It's either this, Sasuke-kun," Ino purred, and reached out to trail a hand down my cheek before I jerked back, crashing into the tree trunk behind me (I swear, she was trying not to laugh, but it could've been my imagination), "Or we'll bother you even more till you can't take it. And that mean's Sakura's rules won't be mandatory to follow, so Karin and the others will be unrestrained." She smiled sweetly at the end of her speech.

Wait- what? Sakura's rules? What was she talking about? But she stopped touching me, thankfully, though my head hurts from colliding with a low branch. I restrained my hand, curling it into a fist behind my back, before it could reach out and rub the injury. It wasn't wise to show pain in front of the enemy.

Taking note of my raised eyebrow, Ino formed an "o" with her lips, slapping her forehead with her palm. "Right, right, you don't know," she muttered, more to herself than I, though it was loud enough for my ears to hear. Speaking with a more audible tone of voice, she explained, "When Sakura became Prez, she made this whole _Uchiha Sasuke Fan Girl Code_. Basically, it said to respect you. That's why there isn't a hoard of girls screaming your name everyday or Karin jumping you when you walk into the classroom." She pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "Sakura-chan must really care about you to think of something like that. Haven't you noticed the change?"

Funny, I was thinking about it this morning. Hm. It was soothing to enter school without being crowded around a bunch of girls making you deaf with their shrieks. It was one thing for just a girl to do something like that, but for a fan girl, I suppose it was different. It went against what they were, and for Sakura to do that, it made me somewhat...thankful.

Ino spoke suddenly, interrupting me in my thoughts. "You're grateful, I can tell," she said, smug. I snorted, nudging an acorn with my black oxford, not looking at her. I could practically see the haughty look she had on her face now. "So," Ino smiled, "Since you're in debt to Sakura for doing that and all, you should take up my offer. Think of the hug as a thank-gift to her. No strings attached." A sigh of annoyance left me, knowing she wouldn't let this go until I agreed.

"Fine," I answered flatly. Unexpectedly, Yamanaka Ino was a very persuasive talker. She squealed at my reply, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks Sasuke-kun! And remember," she sang, waggling her finger at me, "This is a secret!" Ino turned, running off to the group of girls that awaited her. They talked in hushed whispers, the grin on her face stretching from side to side as she spoke excitedly. They glanced over at me a couple of times before bursting out into shrieks and laughter.

For a moment, I wondered what I had gotten myself into before shrugging it off. Whatever it was, I could deal with it. I was Uchiha Sasuke, after all. Speaking of which... I slunk back to the table stealthily, a smirk on my face as I stood behind Naruto. "Protection, eh?" I hissed into his ear, cracking my knuckles. The blond jumped up and scrambled out of his seat, backing away from me.

"Sasuke," Naruto chuckled nervously, "Back so soon?" He screamed as I ran after him.

It was the day. They decided to have me do it on Friday, so they could have their last day of fan girling, and the hug could be erased from everyone's minds over the weekend. Then, starting Monday, I would have one whole week of peace- no fan girls, no nothing. It would was going to be heaven.

Before morning homeroom, the same group of girls that had been with Ino at lunchtime, with the blonde leading, and I came in. They were preparing the room for Sakura's arrival. Most of the girls were blowing up balloons or hanging streamers. Ino was with me, fashioning a huge red bow in my hair, which was attached to a headband. When she stepped back, she laughed. I scowled and tugged at the collar of my uniform out of discomfort. "Aww, he looks so cute, nee?" Ino teased, managing to grab at my cheeks before I struggled out of her grasp.

That girl was strong. My scowl deepened as my cheeks throbbed. "Sakura's gonna love our present," one of the girls from my homeroom, who I recognized as Emi, gushed. She was on a chair, tacking a large sign that read, "HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY SAKURA!" in bold letters. Below it, smaller, said: Love, the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club and Sasuke. They had forced me to sign it.

A few minutes before Sakura usually came in, the classroom lights were turned off, the curtains closed to enhance the darkness. Stifled giggles were heard as people hid behind desks. Ino grabbed my arm, dragging me down next to her. The wide structure of the teacher's desk covered us. Soon after, a light patter of footsteps were heard, followed by the opening of a door.

"Hello?" It was definitely Sakura's voice. I almost snorted- that was a stupid thing to ask. The lights flickered on and everyone jumped out- I got up slowly, taking my time- and shouted at her, their voices mingling together, "HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY SAKURA!"

Her face was pure shock before it melted unto pleasure. A light blush crossed her cheeks. "You didn't have to do this," she said, but I could tell she was happy- the enormous smile on her face told everything. "Thank you so much." She wasn't going to start crying, was she? Her watery eyes wandered around the room, taking everything in with a growing grin. Then, they landed on me.

Her smile left her, brows furrowed to express her confusion. Ino jumped in front of me, talking animatedly to Sakura, "He's your birthday present, Sakura! Well not all of him, unfortunately, but he agreed to give you a birthday hug if we left him alone next week, until school ended." The pink-haired girl had a frozen look on her face as Ino went behind her, shoving her towards me. Sakura stumbled from the push, stopping about a foot from me. I half-expected her to jump up and down from excitement, but she stood just stood awkwardly in front of me. Her face fell for a second before it was replaced with a wide smile. She was trying too hard again.

"You really didn't have to do this, everyone," she said, shifting her gaze to the waiting crowd. As a chorus of cheerful voices replied to her, puzzlement rose in me. Sakura looked almost... disappointed at the prospect of hugging me, which sounded ridiculous. She was the President of my fan club. I shook these thoughts away from me, realizing how absurd they sounded.

Sakura turned back to me, her viridian eyes fixed on a spot on the floor, biting down on her lip. It was obvious she wasn't going to make the first move. Keeping in my annoyance, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her. Her cheeks heated up the moment I touched her, their warmth eradiating as I spoke into her ear, quietly, "Happy Birthday."

I would have let go the second I hugged her, but unfortunately for me, I was given orders to stay like this until Sakura returned the embrace. She didn't move at all, her hands hanging limply by her sides to my growing frustration. Was she doing this on purpose or something? I shot a look at Ino, who stood behind Sakura. Rolling her eyes at me, the blonde poked the rosette with her finger, hard. "Hug him back," she hissed.

"Oh." I scoffed at the surprise in her voice. Her arms wrapped around my torso quickly before letting go, falling back to where they used to be. We separated, though the room got unusually hot afterwards. I felt my ears burn for some reason. Her face was red as she looked at the floor. Tch, how typical.

The silence that had taken place when we embraced was broken as the girls in the classroom began to squeal loudly. "Mou, I want a hug!" one of them whined, "Sakura-chan is so lucky! She must be so happy!" Funny, I thought, glancing over to her direction, she doesn't look so happy- just flushed. In fact, her hug was rather quick. It seemed as though she was waiting for me to let go. It brought me back to my theory.

I had all the pieces in my hand to figure this so called "fan girl" out. If I had ventured upon the puzzle then, who knows what might have happened? But I didn't. I told myself to forget about it and look forward to the upcoming week of relaxation. Over the summer, I wondered a couple of times, but shook my head again.

However, I didn't have to ponder over Sakura any longer, on whether or not she was a fan girl. In our second year, the two of us were paired together to discover truths about each other I would have never imagined...

* * *

End of Sasuke's POV! By the way, if you didn't get it, he was blushing after they separated. But of course, being the arrogant bastard he is, he refuses to recognize it. Sasuke's POV is different from Sakura's... is his even accurate? I don't know, hm. You guys can tell me that.

I felt like he was a lot more blunt and random (like paying attention to the sneeze.) He also doesn't admit to everything, and puts himself in a higher stance than everyone. Yeah, sounds like the Uchiha. Did you guys enjoy it? I did- it was fun! So, tell me what you thought!

I LOVE YOU GUYS! :DD Thanks SO MUCH to *drum roll*: **nightDREAMERms, AnimeFreak218, SweetRevenge1, TigerLilyette, SHINIGAMI to TENSHI, Mistyfire's Code is Secure, Akemi Akira, Asha3, gaarasracoon, erin69nimisha, xxxMeNtaLCoNsTIpaTiONxxx, Aleshia Loyola, kerapal bubbles, Cady, RangikuHime, Animegal9215, Luna Rei Harmony, rainbow spell, VALLED, **and **SasoLOVE111** for reviewing! I love reading through your comments. It's the highlight of my authoress life. :)

rainbowspell, Rangiku Hime, kerapal bubbles- ahh, my narusaku anti-fans/hinanaru pro-fans/whatever it's called. I totally know how you feel. Don't worry, the narusaku is DEFINITELY one-sided. :) I don't like them together too. (HINANARU! *punches fist in the air*) But for now, since Naruto is such a 'tard, he's gonna like Sakura. I'm sorry. D: But I can't WAIT to write the HinaNaru moments that are coming up SOON!

nightDREAMERms- lol, it's okay. :) Akemi Akira- yes, I am so smirking in my corner. ;) I see Sasuke with the ball under his foot in my head, but you can make the picture up any way you want, I don't mind~ Asha3- uwahh, really? I feel special. :D erin69nimisha- lol, yes the bow tie. cuz he's a PRESENT, get it? bwahhaha... Aleshia Loyola- No, it's okay! I just don't wanna disappoint my readers, that's all. :) But I'm glad you're not. *thumbs up* YOSH!

What's up next? *teartear* It's the end...of the first year. *gasp* Already? What will happen to our lovely characters as they work through high school? Only time will tell. And reviews. Lots and lots of reviews. OH YEAH, I just realized. This story has over a 100 reviews! I'm so happy! I can now go to sleep with a smile on my face! :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed to reach this number!

**SO REVIEW! **

-loooooooooooove, moodyaura

p.s. ...should I send private pms to thank my reviewers? I know I don't reply to all you guys and I feel bad... *scratches head* hmm, maybe, maybe, if I'm not too lazy. (that rhymed!)

9


	10. quack

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, **Italian**

- cominci! -

I had hoped it was a dream. But the rush of memory fell over me in my dream-like state. It had been the last day of school, March 25th, the buds of my namesake still folded in their green cocoons, hidden in the masses of viridian foliage. Like the deal went, the fan girls had kept their promise and left their raven-haired amour for the remainder of the week. It was a feat too remarkable to comprehend, seeing how obsessed they were over him.

The remembrance of his embrace flamed by cheeks. I drew the covers of my bed upwards to me, trying to hide my crimson face from the morning sunlight. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I hadn't hugged men before. I had affectionate uncles, a father, male friends, and yes, one boyfriend who all held me tight in their arms at one time or another. However none of them had been so devastatingly good looking as Sasuke had been. (Though their personalities made up for it, unlike a certain someone.)

The few seconds of his grip around me seemed to have lingered on for endless minutes. My arm had hung loosely by my hide, and all my ears heard were the _tick-tock-tick-tock_ of my wrist watch, a humming melody that played alongside my erratic heartbeat. I won't deny that I did enjoy the hug. After all, it isn't everyday that a handsome boy hugs you for your birthday, as mortifying as it had been. It was bad enough that everyone was watching this little scene of PDA, but the fact that Ino had practically drilled a hole into my back with her finger to make me hug him back was utter humiliation. And shame. What had I been thinking? I was his #1 fan girl, after all- I should have returned it the moment he touched me. (I really hoped no one noticed how I let go immediately after I hugged him...)

The gift was, as all things from Ino were, overly dramatic and rather unnecessary. As the other students from homeroom milled in, the blonde-haired girl had jumped around, shouting to the world that, "SAKURA-CHAN AND SASUKE-KUN JUST HUUUUUUGGED!" From the corner of my eye, I had seen her prance to Sasuke, smirking as she sang something smugly into his ear. He had merely scowled and swatted a hand at her, shooing her away.

Equally agitated was Uzumaki Naruto himself. He had been smiling when he walked in, but upon hearing the news, his face fell, the wide grin replaced with a deep frown. It didn't suit him at all. He had stared at me with a gaze that clouded with a sullen emotion I wasn't used to seeing. Moments later, when Naruto had caught my eye, he waved and laughed, covering up his chagrin with a façade.

_Uzumaki Naruto_, I thought, staring blankly at my ceiling,_ I wonder what you see in me with your eyes_. I turned in my bed, the mattress shifting under my weight. On the last day, as I had approached the main gate of Konoha High School, Naruto had stopped me. He had brought me over to an area shaded by trees, not so secluded, but it was much quieter than the rain of farewells that were being exchanged on the open campus.

The blond had walked around for a few moments, pacing over the grass before approaching me. His anxiety was obvious. "I just wanted to say good-bye, so, uhh," Naruto had trailed off, pausing before sticking his hand out at me. "Good-bye?" I couldn't help laugh at him, not meanly, of course, but his actions were so like him it was amusing. I had taken his hand, my fingers wrapping around it, and I tried not to notice his face had turned a bright pink.

"And, well, umm, I also wanted to ask you something," Naruto had added, his hands now stuffed in his pockets, eyes on the floor. They had darted up to me. "That is- well, if you want to, Sakura, I mean- what I'm trying to say is, c-could we hang out over the break?" He had rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his face contorted to something like a grimace tinged with regret. It had been surprising to see Naruto so unsure of himself. I wasn't used to him without his exploding confidence and energetic attitude. However, I knew the reason why. It was a deep down gut feeling that I wished not to recognize, but I knew it was a fact: Uzumaki Naruto had a crush on me.

Me.

Not Hinata, but me.

I had to word my responses carefully. I didn't like Naruto that way, as much of a great guy he was. Not to mention he was reserved for Hinata (that is, if he ever stops being so dense.) A cheerful smile had spread across my face as I nodded. "Sure, Naruto-kun," I had said, and he immediately brightened. I had felt guilty at my next statement: "We can call all our friends and hang out at the pool or something." His face had fell, jaw slacking with shock at the misinterpretation of his words. His reply had been quick.

"That's not what I-" Naruto had cut off mid-sentence, the look of disappointment covered with a grin. "I mean, that sounds great-ttebayo!" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Naruto, but this is all I can give you. I had smiled back at him, curt, strained, before turning to leave. I had exited the main gate, walking briskly, my hand clasped tightly around the straps of my bag. And then, I had heard it: the heavy pounding of footsteps against hard concrete, approaching quickly towards my direction.

My first thought had been, "Oh no." I had turned to face him, inside begging him not to have the courage to say the unspoken words of his heart. He had been breathing heavily, cheeks flushed. Naruto had placed his hands on his knees, bent over in comical fashion to express his fatigue. He looked down at the ground, collecting his breath before speaking in a clear, yet wavering voice, "Sakura-chan, I-I have something to tell you. I like you." His bright blue eyes had traveled to my face- stunned, speechless- before cracking a nervous grin. "Surprised, eh? I bet you didn't expect such an awesome guy like me to fall for someone like you."

I couldn't help but break out in laughter at his comment. Naruto was too much of a nice guy. I had swung my bag at him playfully, and he had grabbed it with his hands before it collided with his arm. Our fingers had brushed for a moment. Startled, we had tore away from each other, his face bright red and mine pained. "Naruto," I had said gently, "I'm sorry. I really am, but I don't like you that way." It was my turn to crack a joke. I leaned over and smacked him on the arm, smirking. "An awesome guy like you doesn't deserve a person like me, ne?"

He managed to return the look, though it was weak. "Of course-ttebayo." Naruto had sighed loudly, placing his hands behind his head and looked above to the sky. "I need a girl with bigger breasts, of course" he said, grinning impishly at me. I had gasped loudly as I hit him once more, laughing. We had separated later, exchanging farewells.

Today was the first day of my second-year. April 5. Sighing, I drew the covers off of my body and got out of bed to prepare for school. _Another year,_ I thought musingly, walking to the bathroom_, I wonder what it holds... _

School started the same as usual, with Kakashi-sensei late for homeroom and my friends shrieking as they caught sight of me enter the room. It was nice to be back, though the break was relaxing. I had found my place in Konoha High School. Amidst the deception of being Sasuke's fan girl and President of his fan club, the endless hours of studying and work, it was fun.

This year, our teacher's had changed completely, save Gai-sensei still being our coach for Physical Education. That man still sent shivers up my spine whenever I looked at him. (I think it was the eyebrows.) So far, the teacher's were relatively kind and friendly, though I missed some of my old teachers, like Iruka-sensei. He had taught us math first-year, and besides from being a complete pushover, his class had been fun to be in. Hinata missed English especially, since her favorite teacher had been Kurenai-sensei.

"You can always visit," Ino offered as we waited for our next class to begin- which was, ironically, English. Hinata nodded morosely as a little sigh left her mouth. The blonde's eyes lingered down at her desk before pausing, back straight with alarm. "Wait- who was teaching us English again?" We leaned over Hinata's desk, which contained the schedule for our entire homeroom class.

Three pairs of eyes stared at the name neatly printed next to ENG. 2-1: MITARASHI ANKO. Ino's screams were drowned out by a loud noise. "Helloooooo, class!" a woman's voice announced, her foot lowered from kicking the door open, "Get in your seats, pipsqueaks. We have a lot to do." She had a curvaceous figure that was accentuated by the tight black shirt and tan skirt she wore. Fishnet stockings ran mid-thigh before knee-length boots covered the rest of her legs. A light-colored trench coat topped off her outfit.

Oh my God. We were screwed. Mitarashi Anko not only had the reputation of being Konoha High's best English teacher, but also the craziest out of the staff. She was a vigorous, maniacal slave driver, as the former second-year students had described her. And we had the luck of having her for the rest of the year. I turned to Ino grimly and she mirrored my look, our faces more of someone who was going to eat their last meal than face an English teacher. But really, there was no difference.

A week passed by and Anko's class turned out to be much less dramatized than what I had expected. I had sighed in relief, as did the rest of my class, and scolded myself for falling for such ridiculous rumors. I should've known better- upperclassmen loved to terrorize the younger ones. A wry smile tugged at my lips as I stepped into English class. It was Monday, school becoming a tedium after the restful weekend. Anko leaned back in an office chair she had brought in (the regular chair was one like the student's) and had her legs propped up on the desk. Her eyes were closed, but I knew she wasn't sleeping.

The black board contained three words, written in a scrawled penmanship belonging to Anko: Read the handout. I walked over to my desk and dropped my bag next to it, plopping down into my seat. "Can you believe this?" Ino muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. I looked at her curiously. She shook her head and nudged the sheet of paper on my desk towards me. "Just read it. You'll understand then."

_To: My incredibly unfortunate class of this year_

_From: Your kickass teacher_

_This handout contains everything you need to know about your first and last project of this year. Don't get so happy yet- it counts for a majority of your final grade. As you obviously know, this is English class. Next year, most of you will take the SAT and TOEFL in order to get into a college abroad. If not, you'll need this skill anyway._

_The curriculum provided by the school is enough to pass these exams. However, they will not help you fully understand and speak English fluently. This project will test your knowledge of this language and provide you with the skills to become like a native English speaker. The project will require you to write various styles of literature IN ENGLISH (no, really?) and be read aloud in class. More details will be provided later. Oh, and also, you will be working with a partner of MY CHOICE. (If you ask me these stupid questions later, you will be forced to write your name out with your ass in front of the classroom. Don't waste my time. And yes, I am talking to you two- Uzumaki and Inuzuka.)_

_And one more thing- although it is not mandatory now, you will be required to speak only English in this classroom by next month. Failure to do so will result in cruel and unusual punishments. That is all._

_LOOOOVE,_

_Anko-sensei :) (haha, not.)_

Ino's eyes looked murderous as I caught her gaze. "It's not that bad," I offered. She grumbled and turned away from me, propping an elbow on the desk to cup her chin with her hand. Okay, maybe it was. But then again, I had passed English last year with a high average, unlike Ino who had...well, failed. Badly. I turned to Hinata, who merely stared at the sheet of paper. The dark-haired heiress had received full marks in the class. The only other ones to get a perfect score was Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru.

I sighed and shook my head. Anko got out of her seat and pounded the blackboard with her fist, the loud noise grabbing everyone's attention. "I'm going to read the partners now. Go sit with them after they've been announced," she said. Ino clasped her hands in prayer, mouthing words silently. I smiled lightly, shaking my head. Hinata was in a similar position, though her eyes were open. I saw her mouth the word "Naruto," her hands folded in her lap, head bent.

"Suigetsu and Karin," Anko called out, almost lazily. The red-haired girl let out a shriek of protest before Suigetsu, already next to her, clasped his hand over her mouth. He grinned at her as she pushed him away. "No whining," Anko drawled, smirking, "You're stuck with them for the end of the year. Ino and Shikamaru." The blonde squealed as she got out of her seat to sit next to Shikamaru. Being a genius in everything he did, Ino would have no problem passing English this year with his help.

"Kin and Kiba. Kagura and Sai. Michiko and Gaara," Anko read the names out slowly. Hinata had her hands clasped tightly together, looking desperately at her desk. "Naruto and Hinata." She let out a small noise of surprise, cheeks red, before scurrying over to join the blond. There were only a couple of kids left without partners now, including Neji and Tenten. I suspected they were going to end up together in the project. Smiling smugly when their names were called, the couple walked over to a corner in the classroom, their cheeks slightly pink from the jeers from their peers. "Sasuke and Sakura. Tayuya and Chouji. Tohru and Lee. And, finally, Emi and Shino. That's all. Get together now," Anko finished.

She must have read wrong. She must have, or else there was no way...

I couldn't move. Not even when a shadow fell over my desk, the quiet, cold voice calling my name with annoyance. My eyes rose to meet his black ones. "Are you ready yet?" he asked, raising a brow at me, mouth turned to a frown. I smiled at him sweetly and nodded.

Ugh. This was so not the way to start the year.

* * *

This was written without much editing done, so I apologize if it sucks. I wanted to get this up soon, so it was kinda rushed. Blehhh. Anyway, yay, the second-year is finally here! They grow up so fast. *sighs* HUGS and KISSES to those of you that reviewed: **Mischievous Naruto Fan, VALLED, Cady, rainbow spell, gaarasracoon, beachbabe999, LOVING YOUR STORY :D, AnimeFreak218, fumiko-chan, Spazzmatic Strawberry, Animegal9215, kerapal bubbles, Yami-Tsukiyomi, Luna Rei Harmony, pirateKitten 11893, SasoLOVE111, **and** Akemi Akira.** Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate them! :)

Mischievous Naruto Fan- I can't wait either. xD rainbow spell- yes, they will be in their second-year now. I have a lot of things planned for our little couple. beachbabe999- thank you for the suggestions! :) however, I don't think I'll be using them because I have different things planned for this story. (sorry! D:) the idea is cute, though, so why don't you go for it instead? I'll be sure to read it if you do! :) Message me if you do~ Spazzmatic Strawberry- I'm glad you decided to read it! :D Thank you so much!

I'm relieved that you guys liked my Sasuke POV. It was strange writing like him though...I don't think I would do it again willingly. Or, at least, until much, much later. :) I hope you guys liked this chapter, so **REVIEW **if you did! I love you guys *heart*

loooooooooove, moodyaura :D


	11. bamboozled

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, **Dutch**

-begin!-

It was the beginning of April, the cherry blossoms now beginning to bud, a sliver of pink teasing between the folds of viridian green. Currently, I was sitting in Anko-sensei's English class, a yellow lead pencil gripped between my fingers, the thin lead protruding out to press against a sheet of paper on my desk.

Directly next to me, as the desks were arranged in pairs after we had been assigned our partners, was no other than Uchiha Sasuke. His poise was less awkward than mine, leaned back against the chair, pencil held loosely in his hand. The blackboard behind Anko-sensei held the instructions to the very first task of our writing assignment. We were to write out whatever we knew about our partner: it could be solid, hard-core facts or your own biased assumptions. However, as the warning below stated, if the information found was wrong, it had to be corrected.

I would have preferred to venture out on writing of the latter, free to state my opinions without being afraid of restrictions. Unfortunately, the close proximity of my partner required that I stay to the former, which I knew little of. Despite being in the same homeroom and all of his classes this past year, I had discovered only morsels of the Uchiha enigma. He remained a mystery to me still, and I believe even after this project, it would stay that way.

And thus, so far on my page (which held scant) was this:

_-Name: Uchiha Sasuke_

_-Age: 16_

_-Education: Konoha High School for the Gifted and Talented; Year Two_

Yes, as one can clearly see, I had learned nothing of Sasuke during the past year. This was certainly an uncompromising situation. Seeing how I was President of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club, it was unspoken that I should know this boy like the back of my hand. Not only was I suppose to know all the major details of his life, but I also had to be able to store all the tiny, insignificant facts that no one really cares about. Well, at least that's what I believe the majority's perspective on this is. Thankfully, I have yet to dish out random information on Sasuke to my fan girls. They do not take me to be his encyclopedia.

And yet, I wonder- if I was having this much trouble writing about Sasuke, how difficult would it be for him to write about someone he disliked so? I shifted my eyes discreetly to his direction, my green irises running down the lines of his page. Slowly, my mouth opened in disbelief, only to promptly shut itself to not look like an idiot gawking at his paper. Incredible. It was longer than mine.

How ironic, when I thought it would have been the exact opposite. The corner of my mouth tugged down in puzzlement only to have the words on the blackboard recall me of something: he must have been writing down his prejudices of me. I looked at his page a second time, this time scanning his writing more thoroughly. I was now even more perplexed than ever. His page contained nothing but facts about me, with an occasional snide remark.

There was the obvious- my name, age, education, and such. And then, there were the things I knew I never told him: my birthday, for example (though Ino had pretty much made it clear to the world what day it was), my favorite color, my hobbies (which contained the first snide remark), and bullets on other facts about me. It was strange to see that the Uchiha knew more about me than I knew about him. Though, I did hypothesize on why this was. I came to the conclusion that, seeing how Naruto and he were good friends and that Naruto had a crush on me (that made everything so terribly awkward...), the blond must have told Sasuke this information.

Yes, I thought musingly, this had to be the answer. I nodded to myself lightly, contemplating the high validity of my proposition. As I turned my head back to focus on my page (somehow, I had become so focused on his paper, my entire head must have turned instead of my eyes) I caught sight of Sasuke overlooking my page with a rather mocking look on his face. He looked up, raised a brow, and turned back to his paper.

He was imitating me! Scowling, I copied his actions and picked up my pencil to write down some facts I remembered.

_-Birthday: July 23_

_-Hobbies: playing soccer (rudely copying people in order to ridicule their actions, hating on his fan girls, and acting like a pompous, emo brat!) _

_-__Random facts_

_-is close to Naruto _

_-quiet and withdrawn around most_

_-meticulous_

_-intelligent and studious_

_-knows English (in general) very well_

_-has never, ever sneezed, coughed, or sniffled during the entire year I was with him. (Note: ask what kind of medicine he uses. Must stock up during cold/flu seasons.) _

It seems as though I was suddenly inspired by Sasuke's piece, for I was able to fill up most of the page until the bell rang. Giving my paper a look of satisfaction, I put it away into my bag. As we packed up to leave, Anko-sensei called out, "For homework, make a list of the things you want to know about your partner!" She hadn't said a word at all during the entire period, choosing to look over some papers on her desk.

My next period was lunch, and the rumbling noise of my stomach was muffled as I sat down on a table to eat. Hinata followed my actions, taking out a neat obento lunch box she had made in the morning. Ino and some other girls came later, adding noise to our quiet chatter. The blonde sat down next to Hinata with a loud sigh, the heiress next to me.

"You know that idiot Nara?" Ino wailed, slamming her fist down on the table, "He's the laziest asshole I've ever seen. I mean, he has this I.Q. of 200 or something, whatever, and he's a genius at everything, but he said he wouldn't help me in English because I was too-" she made quotation marks with her fingers, her face contorted to a frown, "-troublesome. Like what the hell does that mean?" She groaned and dropped her head against the table, her forehead leaned against the smooth, wooden surface.

Ino grew silent after her rant, mumbling to herself as her facial expressions changed rapidly. "All right then," I said, eyeing her warily, "How was your conversation with Naruto, Hinata?" The heiress promptly covered her reddening face with her hands, shaking her head miserably. I sighed, "Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

Hinata shook her head once more. But she took her hands away, fumbling with them in her lap. "I-I was so embarrassed," she admitted, her face falling, "I couldn't stop stuttering, and he had to ask me three times what I was trying to say. I kept blushing and he asked me so many times if I was all right or if I had a fever or something. I-I-" Hinata hid her face in her palms again, her hair falling in front of her face, "Uhm ah hisrace to ahl homen." Ino lifted her head up, and patted her back consolingly.

"This is depressing," she commented, and Hinata nodded slowly. Ino turned to me, and said, "So, how was Sasuke? It had to be better than ours." Well, it was, to me, but telling the truth involved telling too much of the truth, if you get what I'm saying.

So I merely shrugged my shoulders. "He was pretty quiet. We didn't talk at all," I said, and picked up a sausage with my chopsticks into my mouth. Ino nodded understandingly and let out another loud sigh.

After school, I walked down the mostly empty hallway to the club room, the loudest one out of the ones on this floor. I opened the door, and twenty pairs of eyes turned to me. Five of them rushed to me. I smiled warmly at them- I hadn't seen most since the school year had ended in March. It was nice to know they still cared enough about me to be so eager to see-

"Sakura-chan! I heard you got paired up with Uchiha Sasuke to interview him for English!" a third-year cried out, grabbing my arm. Oh, of course. No hello, no,"I've missed you, how've you been doing?"- It's always about him, isn't it? I nodded, letting out a deep breath through my nostrils. The fan girls around me clamored together.

A second voice spoke up, a second-year named Fujiko. Her brown eyes were large and timid behind her black frames as she spoke nervously, "Then-then, President, do you think you can ask Sasuke-kun some questions for us?" Her voice was squeaking by the end of her question, and I realized I was glaring at her ferociously, unconsciously emitting my frustration.

I relaxed my facial expression and smiled easily. "Of course," I replied, nodding at her. The girls around me cheered as they threw their arms around me, and behind them, Fujiko sagged with relief. "Nothing X-rated though!" I warned, looking at the girls knowingly.

Emi, who had somehow squeezed into the crowd next to me, waggled her brows. "Oohh, Sakura-chaan, you dirty girl," she purred, "What were you thinking of asking him?' She winked at me then at the crowd, a devilish grin on her face. I felt the heat burn on my cheeks and ears as the girls squealed at each other.

I think I had just given them a brilliant idea.

My thought had soon proved to be correct as the next day, in English, I sat down, frigid in my seat with the accursed question sheet laid face-down on my desk. My hands were folded on the surface of the metal desk, eyes staring hard at the white page I so currently detested. The seating arrangement had not changed from yesterday, and I assumed that it would stay like this until the next project was given. Sasuke's was currently unoccupied, though his black bag was strewn messily across his chair.

The compilation of questions on the sheet weren't X-rated, thank goodness, but they were enough to cause a year worth's embarrassment for me. I had taken some of them out yesterday, debating with my club members. They sadly obliged to my requests, but were adamant to keep certain questions in, which I was forced to ask.

I say forced because even though I am President, the battle was currently in the ratio of 1: 150. And I was the only one on my side. Thus, due to their immense numbers and desperate love for their unattainable crush, I had to follow their orders. How cruel life can be.

As the bell rang, Sasuke returned to his seat from Anko-sensei's desk, and sat down huffily, mouth turned to a scowl. Anko, on the other hand, looked rather proud and cleared her throat to silence the class. "Interview your partner," she said simply, and picked up a magazine that was on her desk. A handout came to my desk from the person in front of me. With surprise, I took it, and passed it back.

It contained a general overview of the information we should have at the end of our interview session, which ended about two weeks from today. Right after that was our Golden Week holiday. We were supposed to interview our partner in an orderly fashion, so that we wouldn't repeat questions or waste time. I decided to have him answer some of the questions on the sheet and then make another asking about his life in chronological order (starting with before he was born, I suppose.)

A silence filled the air between us, a stark contrast between the other couples who were talking, or screaming in Karin and Suigetsu's case. I cringed inwardly before turning to face my partner. I might as well get this over with.

He was staring absently into space, his head cocked away from me, hand propping up his chin. "Sasuke-kun," I said, and he turned to me. I smiled nervously at him before going on, "I guess I'll go first then." It was more of a question than a statement, the intonation at the end rising as I watched Sasuke for approval. He nodded his head slightly at me.

Vaguely, from far away, I heard Ino yell, "NARA! WAKE UP!" followed by a loud smacking noise and a hiss. Apparently, Shikamaru wasn't cooperating with Ino, as heard by the blonde's violent tactics. I turned the page on my desk over as my eyes scanned the first question with an internal cringe.

"So," I drawled out the "o," peeking at Sasuke once before returning to the page. Although I wasn't looking at him, I could imagine the raven-haired boy had an impatient look on his face. Go for it, my mind cheered. I took in a breath, and smiled at him, "Boxers or briefs?"

It had just occurred to me, a few seconds after I had asked that mortifying question, I could have lied about the answer. At an equally fast pace, my mind produced several reasons why lying would have not solved my predicament at all, but rather, would have made it worse.

Number one: I wasn't fond of lying. How amusing, seeing how I'm living a lie being Sasuke's President. But that wasn't a lie that endangered anybody's life, nor did it hurt anyone. Not really. I can imagine my club members would be upset, but being President of his fan club had absolutely nothing to do with how devoted you were to him. It was about leadership skills and responsibility, which was why Karin was made VP.

Number two. If I had said Sasuke wears boxers, everything would go absolutely fine with the population. Except the incredibly horny fan girls in the club who were hoping he wore lacy thongs. Which, in turn, produced a rather disturbing image that most people should never see.

Number three: If I had said Sasuke wears briefs, there would be scandal throughout the entire high school. Briefs, apparently, were supposed to make the, erm, private parts smaller because of their restraint and tight...fitting. (a piece of information I would have never known save my stupid guy friends from intermediate school and Google.) Therefore, if I were to say that Sasuke wore briefs, the entire school would remark on Wonder Boy Uchiha's gender because there was simply nothing _down there_.

Number four: if I were to lie and say either of these things, Naruto would berate the stupid bastard for making me into a pervert (when, in fact, Sasuke is completely innocent and it was Naruto with his stupid conversations from last year that made me so) and Sasuke was going to want my head on a silver platter for spreading rumors about him.

So if I tell everyone the truth, I may be called a pervert, but I have my fan girls to back me up (and blame! HA!) and Sasuke wouldn't execute me because he would tell me what kind of underwear he wears, and he would know fully well that whatever is spoken to me goes directly to the rest of the club. But honestly, none of this was going to matter as in a short period of time, I was going to face the Wrath of Uchiha Sasuke. Like right about...now:

His obsidian irises narrowed at me, inky black brows furrowed together as his mouth twisted into a deep frown. "That's none of your business," Sasuke said curtly, trying with much difficulty to restrain grabbing his pencil and stabbing me through the chest multiple times. (At least, that's what he looked like he wanted to do...) I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he cut me off, snapping, "I'll ask the questions now." Timidly, I nodded my head at him, and he sighed audibly. "What are your parent's names?" he asked.

"Haruno Atsushi, my father, and Haruno Akane, my mother."

"Do you know what hospital you were born in?"

"No," I said, trailing off. Seeing the irritated expression on his face, I quickly added, "But I'll find out today."

He nodded his head at me. "Okay. Hometown?"

"Oita."

"That's pretty far from Tottori-ken." (Ken is prefecture. Tottori-ken, where our school is located in, is one of Japan's least populated, thus letting the school have large, open grounds.)

"Oh, well, we moved a couple of times. The last place we lived was Takahashi, but we came here after I got in to Konoha High."

There was the noise of pencil against paper, the _scritch scritch scratch_ as it scrawled across the thin sheet. This was the way the rest of the period went, Sasuke asking me generic questions that sometimes led to conversations. We had a few minutes left after he had asked the last one. He paused, staring at his paper thoughtfully before looking up at me.

"One last question," Sasuke said, almost hesitantly. I waited for him to go on. "Is your hair naturally pink?" I considered answering him truthfully when I remembered what he had told me before. Though his question had caught me off guard, I smiled at him sweetly.

"That's none of your business," I replied in a sing-song manner, and rose from my chair as the bell rang just in time. Sasuke rolled his eyes at me.

"Are you going to be difficult?" he asked, rather boredly. I turned back to him, feeling steam coming out from my nose. Difficult? Do I look like some kind of child who needs to be chastised?

"Look who's talking," I shot back, "You're the one who didn't answer my question in the first place!"

He snorted. "That's personal," he stated. I paused. He did have a point there.

"Well so is your question. It's personal," I said simply, throwing his words back at him. Turning around on my heel, I proceeded to walk away when I heard him grumble behind me and grab me by the shoulder. Startled, I let him turn me around.

Sasuke's lips were set to a scowl, frustration mixed with...surrender? "Look, we're going to have to cooperate with each other in order to get this project done," he said, and letting out a breath, went on, "So let's have a deal: if I answer your stupid questions will you answer mine?"

Surprised and speechless, I merely nodded my head at him.

"Good," Sasuke said His gaze tore away from mine, staring off somewhere in the distance. He ran a hand through his hair before muttering, "Boxers." He walked past me quickly, holding his bag tightly in his grip, but even that wasn't enough to hide the light rose coloring of his cheeks.

I raised my brow before taking my sheet of paper and putting it on the desk. After scrawling "_Boxers"_ down for question number one, my eyes scanned down the page. "_Does Sasuke ever blush?"_ it read. Smiling to myself, I wrote down "_Yes" _beneath the question. Well what do you know.

* * *

This is a late update, I guess, since I usually update once a week. Arghh, high school is slowing me down. But don't worry, I won't bail out on this story! (I actually found myself itching to write about Sasuke and Sakura during the week.) I might have to extend the updates to once every two weeks or something. I don't know. *shrug*

_ARIGATOU!_ to all the lovely, wonderful people who reviewed: **sweet-cookie, ANgelii, , VALLED, Double Mocha., Akemi Akira, x l a z y p s y c h o, cutecookiechick, xereox, xemotionallyCONSTIPATED, rainbow spell, Akaria-sama, Twisted Musalih, kerapal bubbles, Animegal9215, PoisonBerry13, RangikuHime, x-KuroxShiroxAi-x, the Sweet Stray, charchar123, SweetRevenge1, Luna Rei Harmony, SasoLOVE111, TigerLilyette. **You guys are awesome and I love you all! :)

xereox- sorry for the disappointment. D: Well I did think of some scenarios they could have gotten to know each other better besides partnering, but I like how they're going to question each other, so I used it. Hope you keep reading, though! :)

rainbow spell- I have no idea how many chapters this could go. I'm estimating...umm, twenty? More or less.

Well, umm, yeah that's it. Oh, and if I get lazy enough, the next chapter will be entirely in dialogue. I'm hoping it doesn't get to that stage.

-loooooooooove, moodyaura ;O

p.s. each of you guys (that review, I guess) will get PM Thank You Note from me next chapter. I promise. I'm just too lazy to do it now.

p.p.s. to whoever cares about reading this: my love life is utterly non-existent. *teartear* on the bright side, I'm doing okay in school. how are you guys- any wonderfully shoujo-manga romance you care to share? *shrivels up in corner with jealously*

p.p.p.s. I made an account at fictionpress! I am so going to write on it...eventually! Yeah! :D


	12. darnation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, **Bulgarian **

-Начало!-

It was morning, the sky a clear blue with dollops of white, and as I waited for Kakashi-sensei to enter homeroom, I stared out the window. In front of me sat Emi, who had her entire body turned to face back at me. She snapped her fingers in front of my face, breaking me free from my reverie. I mumbled an apology and she sighed dramatically before going on with what she was saying before I had dozed off.

"So, anyways, I was on the subway this morning and this old guy comes right next to me and grabs my ass," Emi cried, flailing her arms around, "I turn around to tell him off but he's gone and there's this really, really good-looking guy staring at me with, like, this amused expression on his face. So I don't know if it was the old guy or the hot guy. What do you think, Sakura-chan?"

I answered immediately. "The old guy," I replied, "Or else the hottie wouldn't have been staring at you like that." Emi's face fell, her eyes bulging out in disgust as she moaned to herself. "But, but," I added quickly, "I think your cutie saved you from the grandpa's ass-groping tendencies." She paused in her depression and stared at me hopefully.

"You really think so, Sakura?" Emi asked, propping a hand to support her chin, her elbow against my desk. She stared out the window for a moment before straightening. "I'm gonna find him!" she declared suddenly.

I looked at her quizzically. Her resolution was unreasonable, seeing how the chances of finding an incredibly hot guy who saved you on the subway were slim. Instead of trying to explain all this to her, I simply asked her, "How?"

Emi grinned widely, stretching from ear to ear. She bounced slightly in her seat as her eyes twinkled. "He was wearing our school uniform," she shrieked, not loud enough for the others around us to hear. She squealed to herself before turning around to face forward as Kakashi-sensei entered.

Promptly after, Uchiha Sasuke came in with a more than pissed expression on his face. As I began to pity the poor soul who had to deal with his bad mood today, I realized he was headed straight for me. And to those of you who were hoping he would get down on his knees and confess his love for me, the answer is no. I had a plausible reason for why Uchiha Sasuke was coming my way.

It all started, unfortunately, with the morning paper. Konoha High School printed multiple newspapers, but the most revered and well-known was the Konoha Times. (They weren't really a creative bunch.) And today, on the front page in bold, size 172 letters was this: UCHIHA SASUKE WEARS BOXERS! Below it was a passage on teenage pregnancy. There was no article, not even a hint of anything on the subject of Sasuke's underpants throughout the rest of the newspaper. It was merely used as a catchy headliner so people would read their paper. It was a brilliant ploy.

So, when Sasuke placed the front page with aforementioned headliner on my desk, I could honestly say I wasn't very surprised. "What is this?" he asked testily, narrowing his eyes at me. The class grew quiet as they stared at us. Emi was drooling at the sight of Sasuke's ass in her face. I was trying very hard not to smile lest he think I was mocking him. Which I wasn't, really. Especially when your friend was trying to discreetly pull down his pants to see what color underpants he had on.

"The morning paper," I replied, smoothing out the pages before placing my hands on top. A corner of my lip twitched before I restrained myself. He let out a long, quiet breath.

"I know that, obviously," Sasuke snapped, "But why is that piece of information on there?"

I shrugged. "I told your fan girls. I am the President of your fan club, after all," I said, accentuating the part where it stated my position. Then, I smiled at him, sweetly, gazing up at him from beneath my lashes. "Sasuke, I can't believe you came all the way here to tell me that? Could it be that- that you like me?" I reached out to grab his arm as I said this, but he jerked away, scowling. Ha, victory for Haruno Sakura!

He stormed off and sat down in a seat far, far away from me. I pouted for effect as everyone's eyes were on me. They soon forgot about what had happened, and moved on to talking amongst themselves. Emi stared at me, wide-eyed, and gasped. "Oh, my gosh, Sakura," she cried, "I am so sorry! I told the newspaper that because we needed something catchy as the headliners! I am so, so sorry! I'll go tell Sasuke-kun it was my fault!"

She made a move to get up but I stopped her. "It's okay, Emi," I said, "Really." She looked at me hesitantly before nodding. Emi was part of the News section for the Konoha Times. She wasn't head of that department, but she was pretty close to becoming it next year. The head, however, was an Uchiha Sasuke fan girl, thus explaining how that piece of information was even allowed on the paper. I smiled lightly to myself, amused as I listened to Kakashi-sensei's announcements.

It seemed as though Sasuke was keen on revenge as the next two days, twenty hours, and seventeen minutes was absolute torture for me. His behavior towards me steadily worsened to the point where if I weren't in such a high position at school, I would have probably become a social pariah from the hatred he exuded at me. After morning homeroom, it seemed as though every student in the Konoha population knew that Uchiha Sasuke wore boxers and made a point to remind him of it. Especially his fan girls.

They asked what color boxers we wore now, what kind he had at home, how many he had, if he needed anymore, and if he did, what color did he want because Christmas wasn't that far off. (It was.) Now, I could have restrained them after day one, knowing that this would happen, but after seeing his atrocious attitude to me in English, I decided not to. At least, not yet. I'll have to stop it eventually, or one of them might successfully rip off his pants like Emi was trying to do this morning- jokingly, of course. She would never seriously attempt to pants Uchiha Sasuke if she valued her life.

At two days, twenty hours, and nineteen minutes, I was considering to run out of the room and let out a long scream to free all of my frustrations. Instead I merely smiled at him while clawing the side of my desk casually with my nails. It wasn't just that his constant snide remarks, rude comments, and blunt insults were offensive—it was the fact that I couldn't snap back at him as well.

It was twenty minutes into the period. I don't think I can take it anymore.

"Sasuke-kun?" I called out to him softly. He was staring at a point on the wall away from me, currently ignoring my existence as I repeated his name for the fifth time. Silently, I let out the long breath I had been holding in. "We have to keep on questioning each other," I said to him sweetly, as if I were speaking to a child, "The others are ahead of us."

Eyes narrowed, his head turned in my direction abruptly. My annoyance and slight apprehension was replaced with relief at his cooperation. However, this was short-lived. "Don't talk so condescendingly to me," he replied, his dark eyes drilling into mine, "If anything, you're the child here, being so immature as to report that sort of information to the general public. You're pathetic." He finished his sentence with a sneer before continuing to block out my presence.

Patience, Sakura, patience, I told myself. But obviously that never works. I admit, I snapped. Something inside me just broke off into two pieces, and if I didn't get it fixed soon, I just might ram someone's head into a wall. Before I went off into a violent charade, a brilliant idea popped into my head. Why don't I switch partners?

At that thought, a smile broke out on my face. Yes, it worked out perfectly—I just had to tolerate him until the bell rang, and then I was free to get rid of him. It really didn't matter that I was President of his Fan Club since Anko-sensei was a teacher. She could switch me for some fangirl-like reason such as I was so hurt by Sasuke's contempt for me, I wanted to alleviate his pain by switching partners. Yes, yes, I am genius.

With my mood considerably better I tried once more to communicate with Sasuke. As I leaned forward to make eye contact with him—which, I think, he truly didn't notice otherwise he would have pushed me away because of my proximity—I had a good look at the facial expression he had been making for the entire period.

His eyes weren't entirely closed, just relaxed, lazy, and yet they somehow showed his annoyance towards everything in general. His brows were slightly furrowed. And, lastly, his lips: the bottom half was jutted out slightly as if he were...oh dear Kami. He was pouting.

Uchiha Sasuke was sulking.

His entirely unjustified (well, slightly justified, but still) and inconsiderate behavior towards me wasn't only due to the fact that I had let everyone know what kind of undergarments he wore—it was because he, who was practically a grown man, was too immature to stop having a hissy fit over it. A temper tantrum. The ones little kids have when their parents don't buy them a certain toy or candy.

Quickly, I turned, looking away from him, trying to muffle my laughter with my hands. We stayed like that for the rest of the period, with me breaking into smiles randomly at the image and he still brooding in his chair. Finally the bell rang. Our next class was lunch, so I didn't have to worry about tardiness. I collected my things at a lethargic pace, watching as the class slowly filtered out, Sasuke included. "Are you coming, slow poke?" Ino called to me from the doorway.

"Later, go without me," I said, and waved my hand at her to shoo her away. Shrugging, the blonde flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and walked out with Hinata. Anko-sensei remained in her seat with her eyes still glued to the pages of her magazine. Cautiously, I approached her, waiting for her to acknowledge my presence. When that showed little signs of happening, I cleared my throat.

Anko-sensei looked up, raising an inky, black eyebrow at me. "What do you want?" she drawled. She folded the corner of her page before closing her magazine.

Suddenly, it didn't seem much of a good idea anymore. But my desire to be rid of Uchiha Sasuke as a partner outweighed my anxiety. "Anko-sensei, anou," I said, rather meekly, I might add, "Do you think it's possible for me to switch partners?" She stared at me incredulously before letting out a loud guffaw.

She was breathless by the time she finished, holding a hand to her stomach. The other was facing palm up to me, as if telling me to stop. "Wait, wait," she choked on laughter, "Hold up—are you telling me that you,"-she wheezed, and went on- "You, the President of his fan club—you don't want to have Uchiha Sasuke as you partner?" Unconsciously, I drew in a sharp breath at her (bulls-eye) accusation. I hadn't expected her to know or even care about such details like that.

In a calmer tone, I said, nodding, "Yes, I was hoping you could-"

"Nope, can't do it," she shook her head, cutting me off before I could finish. At this point, all traces of hesitation within me have vanished. I was getting desperate. And annoyed. But mostly annoyed.

Frowning slightly, I argued, "Why not? I'm sure there are plenty of other girls who are willing to take my place." Laughing once more, Anko-sensei shook her head.

"Listen, Sakura, I can't." I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised a hand to silence me. "I can't do it," she continued, a slow smirk growing on her face, "Because you're partnership with Uchiha turned out to be better than I had expected."

"What?"

She sighed. "Look, Sakura, when I paired everyone up, it was based on how different they were from each other. Or, in some cases," she said, grinning widely, "How much they would dislike each other. The only reason I paired you up with Sasuke was because I knew your position as President would piss him off." Anko-sensei stood up, and crossed her arms with a look of satisfaction on her face. "And even better yet," she cried, "It turns out you hate the little bugger too!"

Suddenly, I was aware of my wide-opened mouth and closed it shut. This really wasn't happening. Was Anko-sensei so bored of her teaching position that she played with the feelings of her students? Were we the rats in her emotional experimentation? "Anko-sensei," I said quickly, "Wouldn't it be better if someone who loved him was paired up with him?" She shook her head and took light, bouncing steps to the doorway, smiling.

"Nope!"

Aggravated, I walked rapidly to catch up with her. "Sensei!" I cried, on the point of desperation now, "I really don't want Uchiha-san as my part-" The word stopped on my lips as my eyes caught sight of something I hadn't noticed before. Standing a few yards away from where we were was Uchiha Sasuke. He was walking down the hallway slowly. When he caught sight of Anko-sensei, his pace quickened.

"Anko-sensei," he began, but paused when he saw me next to her.

Anko looked at Sasuke and rolled her eyes. "Look, Uchiha, I told you before, the answer's no. You two are not switching partners. So both of you can suck it up and deal with who you have now," she snapped. She stalked off, turned around a corner, and then disappeared.

That was so close.

She had even hinted that I had asked the same question he had...before. And was about to ask again. Mentally, I smacked myself for doing such a stupid thing. Of course Sasuke would ask to change partners. That's why he was still stuck with me. Dear Kami, how could I have been so ignorant of that?

Stupid.

Stupid.

And I almost got caught too. Hopefully Sasuke hadn't picked up on what Anko-sensei was hinting at. I looked up at him, smiling. "Hello, Sasuke-kun," I greeted. The corner of his lips curled downwards as he eyed me with distaste. He turned and walked off without saying a word. "Goodbye, then!" I called out. He disappeared through a door.

I dug my nails into my palms as I watched him go, my left eye twitching. When I released, crescent-shaped dents remained in the soft skin of my hands. Letting out a ragged breath, I walked down the same path Sasuke had just left to the lunchroom.

This. Was. Torture.

* * *

Okay, I know I didn't keep my usual update pace, but I think it's going to have to be extended to 2 weeks. D: Yeah, that's about it.

THANK YOU ALL who reviewed this little story of mine~ And that list includes: **YYx, Uchiha-Aki, GoldenKitsuneHime13, x l a z y p s y c h o, sweet-cookie, , rainbow spell, red-dragon93551, Luna Rei Harmony, Wicked Little Angel, TorieStar, Akemi Akira, darkreverie13, ANgelii, cutecookiechick, VALLED, Animegal9215, Wolfy, TigerLilyette, fumiko-chan, SweetRevenge1, delicate desires (the strangest thing-it won't let me save your name if it has the dot or dash in it. weird.), Cady, SasoLOVE111, kerapal bubbles, Mistyfire's Code is Secure, gaarasracoon,**

Like holy crap that is a lot of people. :D

Questions? Comments? You can click the review button and type awayyy!

-moodyaura

p.s. if you didn't get a thank you PM from me, tell me so I can send you one! Sometimes I forget who I sent and who I didn't, so sorry!

p.p.s. the next chapter will be uber exciting. Well, I think it's going to be... :)

p.p.p.s. OHMYGOSH. I am HOOKED on a Korean drama called "I'm Sorry I Love You." It's SOOOOOO good, except the quality is crap wherever I watch it. T.T


	13. hummanahummana

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, and **Finnish.** (Which reminds me of Confessions of a Shopaholic! :D)

-Alku! -

The weekend had passed by like a flash of lightening, there and suddenly gone. The two days of long slumber and rest left me sluggish on the Monday that came, tired and wishing desperately for the school day to end. I had hoped that over the weekend, whatever bad feelings Sasuke had had for me would have disappeared, as well as the incident involving Anko-sensei. Although the former of the two was obviously not granted (he roughly walked past me to get into homeroom first, and didn't even bother helping me pick my books up when it was _his fault_) I could safely assume that the latter was. Sasuke didn't bring up the subject and I was wise not to do so as well.

Before class started, I suddenly remembered that I didn't check my locker for any requests for photographs. Since Kakashi-sensei was teaching our first class, Mathematics, which was just a heap of numbers and college-level problems I had trouble understanding, (and was currently getting tutored by Hinata on) he allowed me to go. I walked leisurely down the stairs, not wanting to get back to class too quickly. This wasn't a very good academic attitude, of course, but it was a Monday, and I could always get help from Hinata later. And Kakashi-sensei always started late, so either way, it didn't really matter.

Konoha's lockers were slightly bigger than the average Japanese high school ones, which were the size of a cube, and usually resembled cubbies of some sort. Ours were more rectangular and had a door, which we locked after putting all our material possessions in. Currently in there, I had my shoes, (we were required to wear slippers inside the school, like most) my bento from home, a stick-on mirror (which Ino used often), my sweater, and a purse containing my emergency-just-in-case commodities. And the request forms, of course.

There were not too many, maybe about twenty. I sifted through them, scanning what I had to look for this week. Some were generic, like "looking cool" or "in class" (which was rather risky for me, but no matter, I've done it before.) Most of my requests, now and before, were like this. It made the job easier for me, but they did get boring after time. Occasionally, however, I got a truly interesting topic. And yes, that did include Karin's "shirtless" request.

Some I simply couldn't catch, such as "wearing pink" or "with food on his face." I had a feeling that these were going to be used more for blackmail than personal means. There was even one time I got the request to catch Sasuke "sneezing, coughing, or sniffling. Or looking the least bit under the weather." It was then I had noticed his peculiar immunity to the common cold, allergies, and other illnesses. To the ones I couldn't accomplish, I would return their forms to their lockers with an apology letter.

Today, one request caught my eye. It was from a first-year named Yakusushi Aiko, locker number 234, class 1-B, and female (because I got male requests as well-it both amused and piqued my curiosity. It could be because they simply admired him as a role model, though I wondered what aspect of him would cause such a feeling, or it could be something_ else_...) Time (when they want the photograph given to them): as long as you need. Request: a picture of Sasuke-kun smiling, please.

Smiling. The great, frigid Uchiha Sasuke smiling? My immediate reaction was to return the form right away, seeing the impossibility of this occurring. But before I took out a pen to write down an apology, I stopped, and thought for a moment. What if, just what if, I mused, he really did smile in front of me and I caught it? I tried formulating the image in my head but all I saw was a blank canvas. Sighing, I shook my head and put the requests in a folder. My hands hesitated as they reached for the smiling requests.

As long as I needed?

I placed the sheet of paper with the others. It was worth a shot. No harm in trying. I shut my locker and scurried to get back to class after looking at my watch. Kakashi-sensei eyed me sternly as I stepped into the classroom with my head bowed, cheeks flushed. "Sakura," his voice was dead-pan. Oh Kami, I was going to get it now, I knew I shouldn't have idled at the stairs or my locker! "If you're going to cut, do it right," he finished, tutting at me, "The class was so disappointed when you walked in. We were betting on whether or not you would come back. Many of us lost money."

"I'm...sorry, sensei," I said, but it was more of a question than an apology. As I turned to walk to my seat, I heard Naruto grumble as he handed Suigetsu a bill. Dazed, I sat down and took out my notebook, copying the mathematic equations Kakashi-sensei had written down on the board.

The rest of the day went by lethargically, one minute after the other, the classes seeming longer than usual. And then, suddenly, I wished time could have gone even slower. I stood in front of Anko-sensei's English classroom with a deep breath held inside. Slowly, I let it out and stepped in. Sasuke was sitting at his desk, ignoring me as usual as I sat down next to him. "All right," the black haired woman called out, "Get rolling! You only have around four more days to do this!"

It was difficult to question someone when they were trying to shun your existence. I tried several times to initiate the interview, but he simply either didn't answer or gave a curt, vague reply. Sometimes we would engage in a short conversation that actually led to some information being unearthed; other times, he was unresponsive, and I grew frustrated at his childish, ill manner towards me. The routine was getting sickeningly annoying and I was afraid I might do something irrational if he didn't cooperate soon.

"Sasuke-kun," I called to him, but he continued to stare at a point on his desk. My left eye twitched once. "We have to do this interview quickly. We only have a few more days to do this," I said to him as patiently as I could, curling my fingers as they tightened to a fist behind my back. A corner of his mouth dipped into a frown.

Finally, he turned to look at me, his dark eyes dull and narrowed. "I don't want to have to talk to you more than I need to. E-mail me everything I need to know about you," he said simply. Then he resumed to his original position, one of his fingers tapping on the desk in front of him. I just noticed that he was moving his head slightly, back and forth, looking slightly like a maniac. It was almost as if...

Oh. Oh. He had headphones on. The Great Uchiha Sasuke was listening to music during the class of the most feared teacher throughout Konoha High School. I have to admit, this guy had guts. But that was beyond the point.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face and smiled at him as his eyes darted to me in an annoyed manner. "Are you going to e-mail me information on you as well?" I asked. He let out a little noise that sounded similar to a scoff.

Giving this slight smirk, he replied, "Biographies." I sat puzzled for a moment before it finally hit me. Of course—I was sitting next to the son of one of Japan's most influential and affluent business men. Of course there were going to be books written about him. I turned to face forward, slumping slightly in my seat. Still, it sounded rather strange that I was going to have to borrow books about Uchiha Sasuke. In fact, it was downright foreign to me. And sad. Mostly sad, really.

We sat in silence for the rest of the period until the bell rang. Sasuke got up first, literally jumping out of his seat to get out of the room. He swinging bag crashed into my desk and toppled over my pencil case, sending writing utensils and erasers all over the floor. He paused, looked back at me over his shoulder, and walked on.

Jerk. I felt fury grow inside of me as I bent down to pick up my stuff. And it wasn't the normal kind of anger I felt that usual went away. I was furious. Enraged. I felt like I could break the lead pencil in my hand into two if I wanted to. And I was so, so dearly tempted to do so. Biting down on my lip, I took in a ragged breath and continued to pick up my supplies from the floor.

The classroom was empty at this point. I had shooed Hinata and the others away so I could clean in peace without having anyone bothering me. Anger pulsated through my body, beating along with the rhythm of my heart. The classroom was filled with an air of hushed silence, the door closed as it blocked off the noise from the hallways. It annoyed me. Hell, everything annoyed me at this point. I needed time to seriously just vent out my frustration before I strangled Uchiha.

I put my now full pencil case on my desk, zipping the top closed. My eye twitched. I turned to face Sasuke's desk, which was now obviously empty, but still held his stupid, atomic particles and bacteria all over his seat. Smiling widely, I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head to one side. "I'm annoying?" I asked the air sweetly. My mouth clenched to a thin line, teeth gritted together. "Goddammit, you're annoying!" My foot collided with the metal leg of the chair, kicking it back as it crashed into the desk.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," I mimicked in an overly-high pitched voice, batting my lashes, "Let's run away together and have hot, passionate pre-martial sex and have ten kids together." And, I kid you not, I screamed afterwards. Yes, I was that angry. It wasn't a loud scream—to be honest, it was more of a quiet shriek of utter aggravation for the idiot who sat next to me. I pointed a finger accusingly at the empty seat, narrowing my eyes into slits. "Kami, you should be lucky you're not here right now or else I would beat the shit out of you. Do you know how much of your crap I had to take? Do you think I want to smile at you and talk like I have helium stuck in my throat?" My hands made a strangling motion in the air as I squeezed the empty space furiously.

"You son of a bitch," I hissed, stamping out each word. My nails dug into the metal surface of Uchiha's desk, clawing at it viciously. "If I didn't have my stupid reputation to uphold, I wouldn't be taking this bullshit." I hovered over his desk, breathing heavily, my cheeks flushed from my harangue. Though I had expected that ranting my problems to an imaginary figure would have calmed me down, it was quite the opposite. If anything, I was more pissed off than ever. "Dammit, I don't like you!" I pounded my fist on his desk, hard.

Okay, so this wasn't working, as felt by the resonating pain in my hand. I let a frustrated sigh and thought of what Karin told me. _Close your eyes. Take in a deep breath_, I thought, reminded of her words, _and slowly let it out. Do it again for a few times._ When I had repeated the process for about two times, I stopped. To my surprise, I felt my inner being soothed and refreshed. No wonder Karin did this—it was a much more effective method than resorting to violence. (Such as bashing Suigetsu's head on a desk)

A little smile even managed to make its way up to my lips as I reached over to place my belongings into my school bag. I took a few steps forward, and then paused. The crooked placement of Sasuke's desk stood out against the straight rows. Sighing, I went back and arranged his desk to the way it was before. I stepped back to look at my work and nodded to myself, satisfied.

When I turned to exit the room, everything in my hands fell to the floor. The crash echoed throughout the empty room before falling into silence. "Oh my God," the words escaped my lips before I knew it. Because standing there, in the doorway, hearing every single word I just said, was no other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Fuck.

* * *

I'm too lazy to type up your names at the end of the chapter. D: I'm sorry guys, but I just really wanted to get this thing posted and over with. So I'm not going to do that anymore. If you have not received a thank-you PM, just tell me, and I'll send it. Sorry if I forgot! :(

So, good cliff hanger, yeah? The moment you've ALLLL been waiting for is finally here! The major showdown! The final climax. All presented, dun dun dun... in chapter 14!

Review please~

-looooooove, moodyaura


	14. humdaddy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, **Danish**

- begynd! -

The look on Sasuke's face was comprised of an array of emotions so unique that my words would not do justice to describe it correctly. It was appall mixed with a tinge of amusement, irony, and vexation- four emotions that were also used to describe my feelings upon discovering his presence. Surprise was the most obvious one to comprehend. Though I had been careful upon keeping my fan girl façade in place, there was the possibility that somehow, someday, in the near or far future that Uchiha Sasuke would find out about it. However, the way I had it planned was to promptly call him out after graduation and release three years of pent up anger and frustration with absolute relish on my part.

This, however, I would have never imagined happening to me. It was foolishness and carelessness that led to this predicament, of course. Under no circumstances should I have displayed my emotions so strongly knowing how easily anyone could have spotted me in my rant. Inwardly I cursed myself as I stood frozen in my stance, unmoving and unwilling to gaze into whatever expression his coal irises could possibly hold now, after the initial shock had worn off.

A silence followed, hanging in the air like an unpleasant scent that refused to go away, unbearable and cruel. Then, ever so slowly, I bent down to the floor and reached for my fallen bag—only to realize that the flap had opened during its impact with the floor and its contents had managed to slide, ungraciously, to where Sasuke stood. Pushing the issue to the back of my mind, I reached over to gather what was close to me. The stillness of the room was broken by my movement as I placed my belongings into my bag and the noise of footsteps against a linoleum floor.

Faintly, I recognized my own hand before another joined me. My fingers dug into the leather material of my bag as I drew it close to me. A figure crouched down beside me. In Sasuke's hands were the rest of my belongings, held together by nimble and pale fingers. "Thank you," I murmured, taking my things from them and placing them in my bag. My gaze remained on the floor as I straightened myself to a standing position. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked past him and to the door.

"Going somewhere?" The sudden sound of his voice stopped me in my tracks. His shadow cast over me as Sasuke stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. Frowning, I chose to stay silent, and began inspecting my shoes for any signs of grime or muck. "Not talking, I see," he said. There was a pause before he went on, his voice laced with ridicule, "You look as spineless as the Hyuuga heiress right now."

Immediately, without thinking, I picked my head up, eyes narrowed. His black eyes shone with smugness for a second before it disappeared, replaced with calculating indifference. Anger flickered in my heart. "Hinata is not spineless," I replied stiffly.

At my remark, Sasuke let out a quiet snort. "Of course she isn't. And maybe that's why she follows every single command that idiot Naruto gives her."

"That's because she likes him!"

"And I suppose the opposite applies to you," he said, staring into my eyes. I felt my cheeks redden as I turned to look away. How easily distracted I was from my main goal on getting out of this room. Now I understood the split second of emotion that sparked in his eyes—I had fallen right into his ploy. What should have relieved me from my panicked state was his unemotional state. His voice held no detectable trace of anger, shock, or even perplexity nor did his facial expression give anything away.

If anything, it seemed as though he was waiting for me to confirm a minor, unimportant fact of some sort. It was vaguely insulting in a way and unfortunately, did nothing to uplift my fears. In fact, it made them worse. He stared at me with impatience as he awaited my answer, which I felt very inclined to not do at all. However, unresolved issues, such as our English project, sprung up to my mind.

Sighing, my eyes ventured upward to his face, staring straight into his coal black ones. I answered clearly, my gaze never leaving his, "Yes, it does. I don't like you," before drifting my eyes on something else.

Sasuke let out a small noise that sounded like, "Hm," or one of his other infamous guttural sounds. There was a silence that followed. I waited for him to move out of my way, but he still stood languidly in front of the door, drumming his fingers against the wall nearby. "And yet," he spoke, "You are the president of my fan club?"

Now there was emotion in his face: curiosity. "Through pressure," I said curtly, trying to end the conversation quickly. There were other matters that needed resolutions to. "Now that that's been cleared up, let's talk about our English assignment."

He stood still for a moment at the faint sound of footsteps down the hallway. With a rough shove he urged me deeper into the classroom where we wouldn't be seen. The footsteps continued, getting louder, and passed by the classroom we were in before silence dominated the air again. For a moment I was disappointed that no one came to interrupt our confrontation. But then, if someone had come in, a whole new series of problems would have been added to my already growing bundle of issues. Torn between two conflicting thoughts, I barely heard Sasuke's voice. "What about the project?" he asked, raising a brow at me. That caught my attention immediately.

What about? Was he serious? How about the fact that we haven't gathered any information in the past week or so because of his stupid hissy fits? Or that the interviews should be done in the next few days or so? Was his eyebrow deliberately raised at such an altitude that made me want to shove him onto the floor? Or were his conceited expressions simply a part of his true personality?

I took on a calmer tone than the one that was bellowing at him in my head, "Many things, Uchiha." His eyebrow rose higher. I swear, he is doing this on purpose. "Firstly," I said, counting off with my finger, "I am not using any of your biographies. Nor am I sending you any information about myself. We are going to interview each other normally because I'm sure all the information in your biographies will be nothing more than superficial praises to you and that's not what I'm looking for."

"Oh?" he questioned.

"Yes. Maybe you haven't heard Anko-sensei with your earphones on, but we're supposed to be getting to know each other better so that we can write our stupid biographies. So stop acting like a child and work with me!" I snapped. His cheeks flushed lightly at my remark, whether from anger or embarrassment I wasn't sure. Sighing, I took on a lighter tone. It wouldn't do any good getting him angry, I suppose. "Look, I'm sorry for telling the fan club about your underwear preference—whatever it was—but I honestly had no idea it was going to be let out to the papers. So, sorry, again. I'll let you know now that whatever you say will probably be mentioned to the fan club unless you tell me not to."

Sasuke looked...almost thoughtful. He was sitting on a desk, hands folded in his lap, his eyes staring straight into mine. "And how do I know you won't lie about that, too?"

"I don't like lying," I confessed. His mouth twisted to an amused smirk. Sighing, I said, "Okay, okay, I know how this looks. Ridiculous, I know. I have no idea how this all happened. But the point is, you have my word on this." I glanced at him warily. "So, do we have a truce here?"

"If I answer your stupid question, will you answer mine?" Sasuke asked, seriously, repeating a phrase from the last time we attempted a peace treaty. We stared at each other for a moment, our faces both reflections of each other—a grim line of a mouth and a pair of steely eyes—before I broke out into laughter. Laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation, at his attempt at humor, at the position I had gotten myself into in consequence of my meek acceptance, at everything that had happened. And that's when I saw it. Through my squinted, teary eyes I caught my first glimpse of him smiling. It wasn't sarcastic or bitter—it didn't even count as a smirk, and I knew that was saying something. It was a smile. And I hate to admit, but Sasuke with a smile looked a lot better than him without one. Vaguely, in the back of my head, I remembered the photograph request I had gotten a while ago.

I stopped, wiping my tears on the back of my sleeve, before staring at him warily. "Was that a yes?" I asked, hesitantly. He snorted.

"Does that count as a stupid question?"

"Uchiha."

"Haruno."

I glared at him. It was the most refreshing thing I have ever done. He looked mildly surprised for a moment before concealing it with annoyance. "Yes, it's a truce," he admitted at last. At the sound of those words, I felt like a boulder had just been removed from each side of my shoulders. Dear Kami, how long had I waited for something like this to happen? But instead of letting out my joy and release by dancing around the classroom, I merely nodded at him in understanding.

Drawing back a chair, I sat down onto it. "Well then," I began, "Let's get started. We have a lot to get to know about each other." Sasuke pulled out the chair next to my desk and sat down on it. I had a few sheets of paper in front of me, a mechanical pencil poised to write whatever came out of his mouth. "Oh, and by the way," I added, "I'm warning you beforehand, but my biography of you is going to be quite subjective." At this, he let out an "Hm," sound, glancing at me for a moment before returning his gaze to a spot on his desk. "So don't be offended by it," I finished.

"Isn't that a rather stupid idea?" he asked me, "What if Anko-sensei decides to post it up in the classroom or something? Or read it aloud? That would ruin the purpose of you keeping your charade a secret, wouldn't it?" It wasn't said as a question, even though punctuation forces the question mark to be there. If anything, it was a statement—a haughty one at that. I frowned at his words but said nothing. He smirked at me, "Maybe your lack of foresight led to your inability to make wise decisions." I opened my mouth to snap back a reply, but Sasuke went on, ignoring the throbbing vein on my forehead, "Speaking of wise decisions, it was rather stupid of you to have been ranting about me in an empty classroom. Just what exactly do I get for keeping your little secret?"

My irritation dissipated immediately. Not once did I think about Sasuke using blackmail. It was not because I held him up with honor, but rather, and I am ashamed to admit, my lack of foresight. I did not think about the consequences of my actions while I was doing it until an immediate consequence (that being Sasuke) came up. And during our confrontation, not once did I think of him conspiring against me. I felt myself redden at these thoughts, though a great part was due to the humbling fact that I really have little foresight and that Sasuke was, strangely enough, right about me.

I pondered on what I could give him in exchange. "Well," I began slowly, "I can try and tone down the girls a bit more, though it'll be hard. Some of the girls miss being able to pounce on you freely." Abruptly, my thought process stopped on that statement. "Wait a minute," my eyes narrowed at him, "What am I getting for making your fan girls respect you? If anything, you should be being courteous to me!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me. "So you are not afraid at the entire school knowing about your secret?"

"And you're not afraid of having a third of the female (and some of the male) population screaming and pissing the hell out of you everyday?" I shot back, emulating his arrogant expression. To be honest, it's actually rather hard raising just one eyebrow. So what happened was one eyebrow was raised and the other was raised with it.

He snorted. "That's a rather pitiful imitation of me, by the way. And how are you so sure they'll be on your side after I tell them?"

"How are you so sure they won't be? You may be the one they fawn over, but I'm the leader who they all listen to."

"So who has the power here?" Sasuke asked, musingly, more to himself than me.

I shrugged. "This is sounding vaguely like politics."

"I agree," he said, then sighed, "At any rate, we're on good terms now, I suppose. I won't tell if you keep the girls in control."

"And if you pose for some of my pictures," I interjected quickly. Sasuke frowned at me. "Please? Pretty please? It would help not having to follow you around all day to get candid shots—which, by the way, I have a lot of, and adds to the blackmail I can use against you," I finished triumphantly.

He glowered at me dangerously. "Pictures...such as?"

I twittered in my seat. "Well, there are a couple of you with some funny expressions on your face, and..." My voice trailed off, trying to conjure up some humiliating pictures of Sasuke I had taken. Oh!" My eyes glittered mischievously, "I remember now. There's one of you picking at a wedgie. Another one of you looking like you really need to pee. And, hmm, I think I took one of you during soccer practice when Naruto pantsed you. Or, at least he tried to." I smiled charmingly at him. His glare never faltered.

"...Fine. I'll pose."

"Oh, good I-" My words were interrupted by an abrupt growl coming from my stomach. Flushing, I checked my watch for the time. "We only have ten minutes left until lunch is over!" Suddenly, I noticed how hungry I was. I took a quick glance out the window and noticed some of the kids making their way towards the building. "Some kids are coming," I informed him, "So you better—," I stopped, blinking at a thought that just raced across my mind. "Sasuke—you and I were absent for lunch for almost the entire period."

"Yes, your point being?" he asked.

"Don't you think that looks rather suspicious?"

He was silent for a moment. "I may take back my comment on your foresight temporarily." A rush of footsteps were heard coming from the end of the hallway.

"Oh shit! Oh crap!" I stared at him frantically, "Quick! Look like you hate me! If anyone asks I...I was asking you to tutor me in some English words for the biography! Right! And you didn't want to stay, but I stopped you from leaving and—Kami, I sound like a desperate fan girl." I scrambled to take out my English notes and frantically wrote down whatever sentences came to the top of my head.

Sasuke stared at me with amusement, but he made sure to be quite a distance away from me, even though we were sitting right next to each other. The door opened. Instantly, his gaze turned disdainful with a mix of boredom as he drummed his fingers against the desk. "Are you almost done?" he asked with impatience, loud enough so the people entering could hear.

Automatically, I batted my lashes at him, smiling at him sweetly. "Just one more sentence," I replied before going back to my paper. After finishing, I handed it to him. "I hope you enjoy reading it, Sasuke-kun," I cooed, giggling. He seemed rather disturbed at my display of affection, and struggled to keep a straight face as he accepted my composition.

As expected, our classmates crowded around us quickly, questioning our absence from lunch and what we were doing _all alone_, in a deserted classroom with _no teacher..._Well, as Kiba put it, anyway. "I had to tutor her," Sasuke replied curtly, frowning at me. His eyes scanned down my composition before he folded it and ripped it into pieces. "It's fine," he said flatly, "I'm beginning to wonder why you asked me in the first place. It's a waste of my time."

I pretended to be hurt and turned to the fan girls, who had encircled my desk after entering the classroom. They were envious, in awe, and mostly dying to know the details about our little lunchtime rendezvous. From the corner of my eye, as I explained girlishly to the others about what had happened, I saw Sasuke stare at me with a musing curiosity before conversing with Naruto. I smiled to myself, thinking about what I had written.

_To answer your stupid question: (I didn't forget—I told you I keep my promises!) _

_ Yes, it's natural. I know, hard to believe.  
_

_Well, I'm a freak of nature, so what?_

_Now I believe it's your turn to answer some of my questions. :)  
_

* * *

Augh. Finally.

I'm so thankful to all of you who reviewed this story (and gave me all that writing advice on my previously failed chapter 14) despite my incredibly long absence, which I apologize for. Balancing schoolwork and writing is actually very difficult to do. I also figured out what my problem was: I can't seem to write the climax of a story. I guess I just draw a blank (literally) in my mind and can't go on with the story. But I got over it now, and I'm definitely going to finish this story. Slowly. It's not ending soon, though. I still have a long way to go...

I'll try writing multiple chapters at once and posting them up all at the same time or something.

Anyways, a BIG THANKS to all of you who reviewed (I'm sorry I didn't reply personally this time D:): crawling lolita, Texan Insomniac, bloocheeze, Sasukeloverforever, rainbow spell, Anonymous, jonie92, Akemi Akira, SasoLOVE111, -wICKEDoSItY-, red-dragon93551, Twisted Musalih, Luna Rei Harmony, cutecookiechick, thinkthoughts, x l a z y p s y c h o, 2plus2is4, kattylin, kerapal bubbles, gaarasracoon, Animegal9215, , mangamaniacgirl, gothic bunny-chan, Akaria-sama, charchar123, BlossomSage, cherryblozzomz, the general girl, Lil Annie, SweetRevenge1, me, GoldenKitsuneHime13, KoHaNa-ChAn20, Rhotheen, Wolfy, Fallenskii03, rainbow spell, angeliqueangel, TigerLilyette, LovelySillyPINK, crystal teardrops, (oh shit I have a lot of reviews.) Double Mocha., AnimeFreak218, dragonscale455, Aki-lion-pwns, VALLED, cherryblossomdream, xTheORIeRiN Ibgx, Autumn Misery, kattylin, iHeartStar, , Silver-Heart377,

Thank you. I LOVE you guys so much!

I really hope you like this chapter and sorry for procrastinating so much. D:

I'll try to post the next chapter up soon.

-LOVELOVELOVE, moodyaura


	15. binglesnort

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, Danish, **Czech **

-Začátek !-

Settling a truce did not constitute us as friends, and if making two people who so disliked each other from when they first met required only a simple vocal peace treaty, then the world would obviously be much less complicated. However, my reason for loathing him slowly vanished with his increasingly civil attitude. Sasuke was (and probably will always be) an arrogant, obnoxious jerk, but not for the entire time I was with him. His conceit was a part of his personality, his pride brought upon him naturally through his high rank of birth. It was a part of his identity—like how I correlate art with Sai and pranks with Naruto.

After explaining the situation to our respective friends (and fan girls- sometimes even fan boys) they eventually ceased their meddling and teasing. This explanation, of course, did not include my secret, which Sasuke kept his promise in keeping it a secret. And I, in turn, continued to keep the fan girls in check and made sure no one glomped him on a regular basis. In a way, we were each other's body guards, making sure no damage came upon the other.

Our first, official meeting took place the day after our confrontation, during English class. We sat in a secluded corner of the room as the others continued with their interviews, which we were to finish in a few days (April 29!) as the Golden week holiday slowly approached. During the break, we were going to have to finish our biographies and hand them in when we returned on May 5. Shortly after, Anko-sensei was going to select a few to be read aloud and discussed about...in English. And of course, with the beginning of May, every single utterance that left our mouths was going to have to be said in English.

While a rare handful of students were already relatively fluent in the language (included in the category of fluency, as dictated by the English department of Konoha High School is: writing, reading, and engaging in continuous, coherent conversation.) Most were able to do the first two tasks, but stuttered and stumbled while attempting to accomplish the last portion of the list. Even fewer were the number of students who were able to get rid of their accents. The cursed accents that tainted the smooth flow of speech, and that made them forever damned to mispronounce their v's for b's, the l's for r's, and a whole other string of letters.

And let's not even get to the z's.

While I spoke fluently, I was one of the many that had an accent, though I tried to get rid of it. It was one of those things that went away with time. And assuredly, though the accent was still not completely gone, it was much better than what it had used to be. There was a blessed minority, however, that could speak the English language to a near perfection. Of the few that could were Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, and strangely enough, Ino. Although Ino's speech was quite limited, she spoke like a natural, as if she was just plucked off from New York City and landed in our school by mere chance.

Upon my request, I asked Sasuke if we could do our interviews in English. The first reason was to practice the language, and maybe even get a few tips from a more accomplished speaker. The second was that I could freely express my thoughts and feelings towards Sasuke without being restricted by my peers, who could possibly, accidentally overhear something they weren't supposed to. (It was actually quite convenient for me that the majority of our class could read and write English, but found it difficult to understand it verbally.) And thankfully enough, the other fluent speakers sat farther away from us.

I watched the other pairs slowly engage in conversation, picking off from where they last stopped questioning each other, or just chatting idly with each other. A small twinge of envy stung at my heart as I saw how easily the others got along. And here I was, stuck with Konoha's #1 "Dreamboat," having our first, real interview in days. From the corner of my eye, I watched him, until I realized he was doing the same to me. It seemed as though we were both waiting for something to begin and refused to initiate it ourselves.

Sighing, I straightened in my seat and turned to face him. We had wasted enough time sitting in awkward silence. "So," I began, in English, "Did you think of any questions?" Without bothering to gauge his reaction, I reached over to my bag and took out a notebook, turning it to a fresh page. Yet again, another silence followed my question as I tapped my pencil impatiently against the thin, white paper. "Are you going to answer?" Frowning at him, I slowly trailed my eyes back up to his face. My reaction was immediate. "What's wrong?" I asked, in alarm. My gaze froze at the twisted expression on Sasuke's face, as if he were...well... "Are you constipated or something?"

There was a strange, abrupt sound that was emitted from Sasuke's mouth before he swiftly looked away from me, covering his mouth with his hands. It took me quite a while to realize that Uchiha Sasuke was, indeed, laughing. Laughing—as in, a vocal expression of mirth, happiness, and amusement, and more importantly, something that only a miniscule number of people have ever witnessed him doing (that is, if he ever did it at all.) And here he was, cracking up in front of me. I can only guess that the source of his "amusement" could be.

"It's not that funny," I said flatly, narrowing my eyes at him. He burst into another round of muffled laughter. Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating a bit (_just a bit_) when I told you my accent was almost completely gone. But it was a great improvement from what it was before! When I mentioned this to Sasuke, he stopped chuckling and stared at me with a look of disbelief on his face. "Oh come on, don't look at me like that," I rolled my eyes, "It's actually a lot better. And sorry for not being taught how to speak English like a native."

He had the nerve to smirk at me-that annoyingly haughty smirk that says 'Yes, I'm _that_ much better than you.' "I can only imagine how terrible it must have sounded," Sasuke remarked, his dark eyes dancing with glee. Shortly after, he must have realized how odd his sudden change in demeanor was and composed himself. He resumed to his usual poker-face before saying, "I did think of some questions." Sasuke took out what appeared to be notes on our previous interviews and stared at them for a moment before continuing on, "I noticed that you don't talk about your mother. You haven't mentioned her once. So, I would like to know about her more." He paused to raise a brow at me with an inquisitive look on his face. "That is, if you don't mind."

"I don't," I replied, staring at him right in the eyes before gazing ahead of me. The stiffness of my chair made me uncomfortable and I leaned forward to ease my back, propping my chin on one of my hands as the other drummed the desk. "Well, what do you want to know?" From the corner of my eyes, I saw him shrug. "Name? Age? Looks?"

"Everything would help."

"All right then." A deep breath left my lips. Where to begin, I wondered, when there was so much to say? I let out a humming noise as I pondered upon the subject. Age was a good place to start, I suppose—most women hate mentioning anything about it. "My mom should be...forty-five now?"

"You mean you don't know how old your own mother is?"

I stared down at my desk. "I haven't seen her in a while," I finally said, shrugging lightly. "My parents are divorced." My ears picked up the sound of a pencil scratching furiously against paper. The corner of my lips lifted to a smile as I turned my head, spotting Sasuke bent over his notes. He paused in his writing and lifted his head.

"Well, go on," he said, raising an eyebrow at me, "That is, if you don't mind."

"You said that already," I pointed out, "And I don't mind." I bit down on my lip, thinking to myself before opening my mouth. "My mother came from an extravagant family. They weren't incredibly rich, but they had more money than the average person would make. My father's family was the exact opposite—simple, plain...They didn't see the use for being so money-hungry, to put it. Through a series of circumstances, my parents met, fell in love, and married, against the consent of my mother's parents, as well as my father's parents. They eloped, living on their own for a while before moving in with my father's family who reluctantly took them in.

"My mother always had expensive taste. After she got married, her parents cut her off from the family and she had to make do with the smaller income my father made. That didn't stop her from spending whatever she could. My parents slowly started fighting more and more, especially when I entered junior high school. My father wanted to send me to a better cram school to prepare myself for Konoha High School's scholarship exam. That meant cutting off my mother's already _meager _funds. Eventually, my mother found another, richer man and divorced my father. I haven't heard from her since."

"How old were you when they divorced?"

"I think...twelve? It feels like such a long time ago," I said musingly. "Anyways, let's talk about you now." My hands flipped through the pages I had written on Sasuke, and my mind tried to conjure up a question for him. "So, I noticed you don't talk much about your older brother..." I trailed off, scanning down my neat handwriting, "Nope. Nothing except his name and age. Can you tell me more about him—that is, if you don't mind?" I admit, my voice was mocking. Talking about my parent's divorce wasn't something I told the entire world and definitely a topic I hadn't expected to share with Sasuke of all people. Throughout my entire confession, I had fidgeted, shifting uncomfortably in my chair, playing with my fingers, the hem of my skirt, my hair...It felt odd baring that piece of my soul to him. My mouth held a sour taste after telling him everything and my heart churned with bitterness. And thus, when I found something I could jest at him with, I sprung at the chance to do so, just to shift the focus to someone else.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me, frowning slightly. "No, I don't," he replied smoothly. But he did. I could tell that he did, but his arrogance refused to let him back down. His words were biting and tense as Sasuke went on, "Itachi was always incredibly gifted as a child. My parents favored him from the start. Itachi was the one who was going to take over the company and lead it to success, the one who got the top scores as a child. He was the best. And I," Sasuke said, rather bitterly, "Was forced to compete with him from my birth. But it turned out that my older brother had absolutely no interest in inheriting the company. Two years ago, he moved to Italy to attend a prestigious culinary school."

"I think I read about that in the news," I commented, though still surprised, nonetheless. The event had taken place during the summer, sometime in June, a few months after entering the first year of Konoha High School. Every newspaper in Japan, both major and minor, contained a headline with the words "Uchiha Itachi," "Heir to Uchiha Co.," and "Culinary school," followed by a series of question marks (as well as an equal number of exclamation marks.) A question popped up in my head. "Do you hate your brother?" I asked, the words leaving my mouth slowly. My eyes never left the angered look on Sasuke's face.

It was an internal conflict that had nothing to do with my inquiry, but rather secret memories that seemed to be running through his mind. I say this not as a fact, for I am not an omnipotent being, but an assumption. If he were truly angry at me for asking such a personal matter, then he would have confronted me instantly, telling me to back off the issue. It was not, though, and a short silence followed as Sasuke struggled to reply correctly to my question. Finally, he answered, in the same manner I had asked, choosing his words with slow, deliberate care, "No. I resent him for making me have such a difficult...childhood, but I don't hate him. If anything, I suppose I really_ admire_ him. I always have. He wasn't a bad brother, either. I guess..." Sasuke trailed off with a rather thoughtful expression on his face, staring at a point in the distance.

As much as I would have liked to leave him in his meditation on his "troubled childhood," we had a time limit for getting to know each other. After a while, I cleared my throat. Sasuke shook his head lightly and turned to me. "Sorry for, erm...interrupting your little moment," I said, "But I have some other questions to ask you." He nodded in understanding. "They're from your fan girls," I added, hoping that explained the content of the questions I was going to ask. Instantly, Sasuke's face fell, his mood darkening considerably. "I took out the inappropriate ones, so they should be okay," I stared at him hopefully.

"Fine," he said, curtly.

A smile spread across my face. "Thank you! The girls will appreciate it." Sasuke let out a snort, rolling his eyes. "So, hmm...Oh! This one's from Ino," I read, giggling, "She says: 'What kind of shampoo/conditioner do you use? Your hair looks so soft!'" I caught Sasuke glancing over at the blonde's direction and give her a death glare.

"Just whatever's laying around the shower, to be honest," he said, "Most of the time it's my-well..."

"Yes?" I urged.

He shot me a pointed look. "You can't tell them this," Sasuke said, warningly, and I nodded. "My, um," he shifted his eyes, "My mom's shampoo." He stared down at his hands. The bits of his cheek that wasn't hidden by his shaggy haircut had turned the faintest shade of red. I couldn't help but be amused at his actions.

"No wonder your hair smells like fruit," I laughed. He scowled, jutting his lip out. "You're pouting, you know," I teased.

"I'm not pouting," he said, flatly, "Next question."

The smile never left my face as my eyes scanned down the page. "All right then," I pursed my lips, trying to find a good question, "Okay. So this was one of my questions." I tore my gaze from the paper back up to Sasuke, who peered at me with the slightest hint of curiously. "I've never seen you cough, sneeze, or sniffle for the entire time I was with you—last year included. What kind of medicine do you take to prevent your allergies, your colds, and all that?"

Sasuke raised a brow at me. "I don't have any allergies."

"None at all?"

"Nope." He looked at me rather smugly, "Why, do you?"

I groaned, throwing my head back. "Yes. Lucky bastard." My allergies lasted in summer, spring, fall, and winter. All four freaking seasons. And I still didn't know what I was allergic to exactly. It seemed as though whenever I woke up feeling cold, I would end up a sniffling, sneezing, icky mess for the rest of the day.

"I also have an incredible immune system," he added, the corner of his lips tilted to form an amused smirk.

"All right, all right, moving on," I said, waving my hand at him. I read off a random question, "Do you have a-," I reddened as I read the end, "-a six-pack?" Sasuke didn't speak for a moment, and I twittered in my seat, hoping I hadn't crossed any borders with the awkward questions.

He finally spoke, "It's not exactly a six-pack, but I have abs." At this, I reddened even more, staying quiet as I wrote down his reply. Some girls were rather comfortable talking about this kind of stuff, even going as far as touching a guy's stomach to feel for something muscularly defined. Now I wasn't a prude or anything, but it just felt uncomfortable talking about Sasuke's abs—even more because I was talking to him _about_ his abs. It would have been a completely different atmosphere had it been Ino or Hinata or any other girl in his place. I wasn't head over heels over the guy, but he really was good looking.

So, naturally, talking to a ridiculously cute boy about his abs was rather nerve wracking. I don't know. Is it just me? The room felt too hot, my hands were kind of sweaty, and I could feel my cheeks literally burning against my skin. I didn't want it to seem like I _liked him_ liked him (ha, how elementary) because I honestly didn't. But what annoyed me was it seemed like I did. SIGH. "Next question, then," I said, this time making sure to choose it wisely, "Have you ever been kissed?"

The answer came out easily. "Yes." The look on his face instantly regretted his words, however. Maybe he had noticed the all-too curious, mischievously dancing eyes of mine. He knew the next word that came out of my mouth before I even said it. "No," Sasuke snapped, "I won't tell you who."

"Why?" I asked, frowning, "Approximately 150 girls have been dying to know about this. Unless, of course, the girl (that is, if you kissed a girl at all) attends this school and you fear for her life?" Sasuke shook his head. "No? They don't attend this school?" He nodded. "Why so silent, Sasuke-kuuuun," I sang, grinning at him, "C'mon, fess up. I promise I won't tell. At least tell me your first kiss." I paused. "And then one kiss story I can tell the girls."

Sasuke let out a groan, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Why do you want to know so badly? And I mean _you_, not the fan girls," he demanded, eyeing me warily.

I asked myself—do I really want to tell him why? He stared at me expectantly, and I found no other choice than to do so. Hesitantly, I said, "You don't really look like the type that would be kissing someone." Disbelief crossed Sasuke's face. Well, maybe that wasn't the right way to phrase it. How about... "I mean, you're _good-looking_ and all, but you're more like a poster boy for pretty boys than an actual, breathing, kissable person." I fidgeted in my seat. Somehow, I think that didn't come out how I wanted it to. "That is, what I mean is-"

"I don't know if that was an insult or a compliment," Sasuke interrupted. I bowed my head, biting down on my lip. "But I'll let you know," he continued, on a much more haughty tone, "That I'm quite human and kissable."

He was stroking his ego. How very...Sasuke of him, I thought, rolling my eyes. But it was also the perfect opportunity for me to pry information out of him. "Then why don't you tell me a story," I challenged, "One that I can tell everyone."

"You're so annoying," Sasuke stated bluntly.

I flushed, turning around to face him in my seat. "What-"

The bell rang and Sasuke didn't waste any time on running the hell out of the classroom as fast as he could.

"...Lucky bastard," I muttered, shoving all my papers into my bag. I'll get him next time, no questions about it.

* * *

WAHOO! So I got another chapter done! :)

I love you all who reviewed**: Lights Romance, JustAbitTipsy, telekinetics95, RAINBOWSPELL, Tainted-Blossom, KoHaNa-ChAn20, SweetRevenge1, Akaria-sama, Imagined-Star, MissLadyEmiko, Texan Insomniac, UwIllNevERn0, Princess Ren, TheUn-POP-ableBubble, dragonscale455, Aki-lion-pwns, cherryblossomdream, Shining Through, Moonlit Song, GoldenKitsuneHime13, cherryblossoms4spring, Kattylin, VALLED, **

THANK YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH! :)

Shining Through && dragonscale455: So, I edited the last chapter: Sakura no longer has dyed pink hair—it's natural. I was originally going to make her to be half-Japanese and half-...Irish I guess. So then her mother would have red hair and green eyes and her dad would have quickly-aging white air and black eyes. Sakura would then be in the "middle" of the two, having pink hair, by having it dyed or something.

But then a whole string of nationality problems would have risen so I just dropped the idea. I think it's impossible to have naturally pink hair though...not sure.

Tainted-Blossom, I hope this chapter tempts you more. :)

Imagined-Star, thank you! I like the pace as well. I don't believe in two characters randomly falling in love so quickly.

Texan Insomniac- yes, school is a big, ugly, hairy monster. Someday I'll hire the PowerPuff Girls to get rid of it.

Moonlit Song- What? No, no, no, I use a free translator found on Google. I wish I knew all the languages I posted up! Then I could travel the world and ask where to go to the bathroom without making awkward pointing movements to my private areas.

Hope you guys didn't wait long~

AND 300 REVIEWS, at last! I love ya'll. I really do.  
I'll post up some kind of bonus chapter for you guys soon for that.

looooooooove, moodyaura :)

p.s. i'll try sending the private thank you PMs again. I umm, kinda forgot to do it and then I didn't feel like doing it. sorry D:


	16. BONUS CHAPTER!

SUPER FUN BONUS TIME! :DDD

Awkward Partnership Conversations.

Starring...

001. Mitarashi Anko.

The loud, obnoxious voice of a hellish English teacher rang out through the bustling classroom air: "All right! You only got a few more days so stop all the small talk and start interviewing! That's all I gotta say." She sank back into her chair, resuming her original position—the position she's had since day one: legs propped up on the desk, body tilting back into the chair with a magazine covering her face. It was the perfect disguise. It made Anko _look _like she was sleeping when, in fact, she was just dozing in her seat, listening to all her students' conversations with her strangely acute hearing. Anko cracked a smile, hidden beneath the scandalous title page of her tabloid magazine.

002. Uzumaki Naruto && Hyuuga Hinata

In the front of the room sat a blonde-haired boy who scratched at his cheek, which was marked by three, horizontal scratches. He was placed there personally by Anko-sensei, the old hag (#2, because Tsunade-sensei was always #1 in his mind), so that he wouldn't do anything "stupid." Naruto scoffed, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes at his currently snoozing teacher. Relishing her moment of blindness, he stuck his tongue out at her childishly, sticking his thumbs in his ears and waggling his other fingers.

Satisfied, he turned to his partner, the demure Hyuuga heiress, and caught her otherwise silent giggles as they were attempted to be stifled with her hand_. She_ _has such...thin fingers_, he thought, staring fixedly at her hand. Hinata twittered in her seat under his gaze, slowly turning that hated shade of red. Eventually Naruto snapped out of his observation and took notice to her blushing face. He opened his mouth to bring it to attention, but then paused. Almost everyday, the same situation had occurred, where Hinata was unusually feverish and he insisted on taking her to the nurse, giving her some cold medicine, or just bringing her an ice pack.

Each time she had refused him, saying she wasn't sick at all. Naruto really didn't believe her, to be honest. Hinata was such a pale, fragile looking person in his opinion—someone that needed to be handled with lots of care, as if she were a UPS box or something.

But she wasn't.

So Naruto couldn't just stuff her in a box with a lot of weird, squiggly foam figurines (speaking of which, what the hell are those called? Anyways, back to the point) and taped down securely with a sign that said, "This Side Up," with a little arrow pointing upwards. He didn't know Hinata _personally_...or maybe, technically, he did, seeing how he was pretty sure he knew her entire life story by now. Hmm...Naruto shook his head, trying to snap out of all these thoughts. Where did the box come from, anyway? Whatever. Focus, Uzumaki!

His loud voice spoke the silence that floated heavily between them. "So, ahh..." Naruto scratched his head, "I guess we should start, ne? Hinata-chan?" The dark-haired girl jumped for a moment, startled at his sudden attention and nodded. She was always so twitchy around him. It made him wonder if she was afraid of him or something. Naruto personally thought he wasn't scary _at all_, except maybe when he dressed up as a werewolf for Halloween and made Sasuke scream (like a GIRL!) after sneaking up on him.

Next to Naruto, Hinata scrambled around to reach for her notes that had fallen onto the floor. She felt her skirt hitch up against her leg and she blushed profusely at the thought of him staring at her skin. She peeked at him quickly, only to notice he was looking in another direction. Hinata sighed in relief and picked up all her papers with ease before putting them down on her desk. With her eyes she quickly re-read what they had discussed previously. "N-Naruto-kun," she said, and he turned to her, "W-w-we were talking about o-our favorite things last t-time."

Hinata couldn't help but notice how her stuttering increased whenever he simply looked at her. She bit the inside of her cheek, cursing her shy personality. If only she were as outgoing and cheery as Ino or Sakura, then maybe she would have the confidence to talk to Naruto like a normal human being. And then, maybe, just maybe, Naruto might _like_ her like her, like he did with—

Oh Kami. Oh KAMI. He was smiling. No, scratch that. He was cracking the most gorgeous grin she had ever seen, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners, the adorable little dimples appearing on the side of his lips...Bad! Bad Hinata! Focus! Pay attention to what he's saying! "Oh yeah!" Naruto cried, "I remember now! What should we talk about now...Hm." The smile relaxed into an almost straight line as a thoughtful expression crossed his face, his index finger tapping against his chin. "I got it!" The wide grin reappeared, and Hinata nearly swooned at the sight. His eyes glittered like two sapphires as he spoke, "How about our favorite music-y'know, songs, artists, genre, and all that?"

Hinata vaguely felt herself nod in response to his question, but she wasn't so sure. Everything was so _bright_ and dizzying. She heard a little voice inside her head speak to her. It was a bossy, authoritative tone, kind of like Hanabi when she was grumpy in the morning (or Neji as a woman...Yes. Yes, that was much more fitting.) _"Hinata!" _it hissed, _"Do not pass up this opportunity to speak up, do you understand? This is when you ask him a question. Ask him what his favorite type of music is. Make a conversation! Do you understand?"_ Of course, she didn't nod to this question, or else Naruto would've thought her to be a nut case. It did serve its purpose, however, and motivated her to speak up. Trembling, Hinata opened her mouth to, YES, finally speak up and ask Naruto a question, because now was her time, and now she had her one moment of confidence, and he was going to—

"So, Hinata, what's your favorite kind of music?"

-to beat her and ask it first. Of course. It just had to be like this. Glumly, Hinata pondered on her answer. "I-I like..." she said, "I like c-classical music, to be honest." She saw Naruto make a face and she twittered in her seat, saddened that he didn't like her choice of music. Nevertheless, she went on, dejected, "And soul music, l-like blues or jazz." There was a moment of silence. Then, as an afterthought, Hinata added, "And I a-also like Queen."

Naruto choked on air. "Q-QUEEN?" he asked, his eyes widening.

Hinata felt her cheeks redden. Curse them, stupid temperature sensitive chunks of skin. "Y-yes, I like them," she mumbled, staring down into her lap.

She missed him nodding appreciatively at her. "They're a classic," he commented, "But I never took you for a Queen lover. It took me by surprise."

"O-oh." There was a painful silence between them before Hinata realized she finally had her opportunity. "T-then, what are your favorite songs, Naruto-kun?" Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun. The name still felt strange and foreign on her tongue. She was used to formalities, to surnames followed by a –san, a –sama, or –sensei. It was a casual style of speech that was unofficially and unspoken-ly forbidden in the Hyuuga household. But it had a nice ring to it, Hinata supposed, smiling to herself.

Naruto, in the meanwhile, was thinking so hard about Hinata's question, he was losing brain cells. He was also staring quite hard at a point in space while trying to conjure up an answer for said question, which coincidentally happened to be Hinata's face. After five seconds of intense staring, Hinata looked up and jumped, startled at his almost-glaring-but-not-really-because-he's-just-incredibly-focused-on-something stare. "I like," Naruto said, slowly, as if the entire world depended on his next choice of words, "The Beatles. And...rock and roll. Especially the guitar solos." He paused for a moment. "AND, I like indie songs." He nodded, as if quite satisfied with his answer. "Yeah, like the songs that no one really listens to, especially the English ones no mainstream stuff and all that."

"...Indie?"

Naruto nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah, I love that kind of stuff! It gets me so hyped up!" He scratched the back of his neck, blushing lightly. "Well, more than usual..." He springs back up immediately, suddenly wide-eyed. "Hey, Hinata-chan, have you heard of the song Technologic by Daft Punk?" She shook her head, wondering where this was going. Naruto felt his jaw drop and touch the floor. Poor, poor music-deprived, ignorant girl. "Then how about Vampire Weekend?" Another shake of the head. "So you never heard of the song Oxford Comma?" Nope. "Socratic?" Nuh-uh.

The blonde stares fixedly at Hinata, suddenly very somber. "S-sorry, Naruto-kun," she mumbled, though she really didn't know why. It just felt like her fault, that's all. Everything seemed to be.

"All right. I've decided," Naruto said, his voice rather grave.

Hinata felt a hand squeeze her heart multiple times, tear it out of her chest, stamp on it, and then put it back in as it was near-dying of blood loss and exhaustion. "O-on wh-what, Naruto-kun?" Her eyes widened timorously. She hoped she didn't offend him. She didn't mean to, honestly, it was just that she never heard of any of these bands. That kind of music was unappreciated by her father (meaning if he found it, it was instantly chucked out the window, or worse, crushed into pieces and used as fertilizer, which Hinata tried to explain to her father multiple times that it didn't really work that way, even if he considered it garbage because the CDs were made out of plastic and provided no nutritional value to the soil, but he never did, and he always grumbled when his plants came out all crooked and dying.)

There was a finger dangerously close to her face, taking up her entire line of vision. "You." It retreated, pointing at Naruto. "Me." It turned to the clock, which struck near the end of the period. "Lunch." He straightened himself, suddenly looking quite proud and satisfied as he declared, "Today, I, Uzumaki Naruto will introduce you, the poor, electronica-deprived damsel in distress, to the beautiful world of my music." Naruto grinned at her once more. "So, what do you say?"

What could she say? Here he was, the biggest crush she's ever had since...ever, and he was offering to have lunch with her. To listen to music with her! Five hundred thousand scenarios ran through Hinata's mind. She opened her mouth to speak—

_BRIIIIING!_

-when the bell rang. And before she could say anything at all, Naruto said, "Great!" grabbed her by the hand (it was such a wonderful hand, all warm and big and just WOW...) and pulled her out the classroom before settling down on an empty lunch table outside. "The others are so noisy, ne?" he said, waving his hand at the students who rushed out the school doors, "And you can't hear the music when they're around. So it'll be just the two of us—'kay, Hinata-chan?" Dazedly, she nodded, still relishing the touch of his hand. "Hey, stick this in your ear!" Naruto handed her an ear bud as he scrolled down his iPod to find a song.

What could she say?

She loved this kid.

003. Yamanaka Ino && Nara Shikamaru

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T REMEMBER?"

It was this type of situation that led to Ino being called a "Pig." She knew it for a fact that when she got mad, her beautiful complexion was tainted with a hideous shade of pink (which appeared in uneven spots all over her face) and her nostrils flared like someone had stuck two erasers up her nose. Some wise ass saw her in this disgusting state of rage and decided to call her said repulsive nickname, which only angered her further. The boy ended up crying in a corner of the classroom with a large stuffed animal in his arms as he rocked his body back and forth. He never said a word about what had happened to him. Unconsciously, Ino's eyes narrowed as a devilish smile crawled on her face.

That is, until one particularly ANNOYING voice interrupted her. "You know," the stupid voice drawled, "You look uglier with that expression on." Instantly, Ino snapped out of her reverie and glared at the boy who sat in the seat next to her in this wretched English room. _Brat_, she hissed at him in her mind, _Pointy-haired, small-eyed doofus! Spiteful, insulting little wiener! Lazy-...lazy-!_ Ino's mind was silent for a moment, her rant interrupted. She realized that she had run out of words to use, though there were plenty of never-ending, violent visuals that would express her sour attitude towards the boy. She frowned, disgruntled at her limited vocabulary. On the other hand, Ino was sure she knew a lot more words if she were complimenting someone.

It was because insulting people required less vocabulary. It was a two or more people involved sort of thing, where one-word adjectives were exchanged in hateful tones. However, since this was in her head, Ino had run out of bad things to say about him since she was the only one speaking. Immediately, she brightened. _Bad!_ she thought, _I forgot about bad! How stupid am I? Geez. I can keep on doing this. It can't be that hard. Now where was I? Lazy, smart ass, insolent, ungrateful—_

"Yamanaka."

_-know it all with dirty nails and scrawny legs-_

"Yamanaka."

_-not that I was checking them out or anything. No, EWWW, no, NO. No. Hell no, I was not checking out his legs. I was NOT. Oh, KAMI, that's DISGUSTING. EWWW. No, no, I COULDN'T have been. I was just inspecting them to see if they were passable or something—_

"YAMANAKA!"

_-which they SO weren't._

She figured she had ignored him enough. Maybe now he'll learn to appreciate her presence. It wasn't everyday a boy was graced with her beauty, after all. And he was one of the few (so far, hopefully there were no more) who didn't fall at her feet, staring at her with goo-goo eyes. It was rather annoying. Anyways, back to the point.

Ino narrowed her blue eyes at Shikamaru. "What," she snapped, "Do you want? Would you stop screaming into my ear? If you wanted my attention that badly, all you had to do was kindly ask." She felt a smirk of triumph spread across her lips at her words. This was another thing they did often: fight.

Fight-ish. It wasn't fist-to-fist, physical, beating the other up sort of fight, but more like vocal arguments. Debates. Competitions, rather, to see whose words would strike the other down by surprise, to the point of speechlessness. So far, Ino had won...zero times. (Sad face! D:) She was actually quite surprised at the blunt words the spiky-haired punk said to her face. And after every time, she would retreat to a corner in her mind, pouting at what he had said, rather similar to the kid she had mentally scarred many years ago.

There was another thing Shikamaru did that annoyed her _senselessly_: he stared at her. Now, Ino wasn't the squirmy, shy, girl-next door. She savored attention like a fine wine connoisseur enjoyed a cup full of 1892 Merlot. And Ino certainly wasn't the one to hesitate when the spotlight came to her. What she did mind, however, was when someone else was bolder than she was. Then, she got a bit squirmy.

Shikamaru was one of those people who could stare right into the eyes of a person and break them down internally to a heap of jittery, nervous crap. He didn't admire Ino, he just stared. And stared. And stared. With the blankest expression on his face that gave Ino no hint as to whether or not he was thinking about. He had a poker-face that beat Sasuke's—and that was saying something.

He was doing it now. Looking right into her eyes like it was a staring contest or something. Ino felt as though someone were squeezing Play-Doh into her ears. Ashamedly, she tore her eyes away first, deciding to focus intensely on a word on her paper instead. "You," Shikamaru said, "Are incredibly vain." Ino bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep her mouth shut. He won this stupid argument—again. No point in starting another one. They had so much work to do. "And just so you know," he continued, speaking in the same, lazy drawl, "A person can forget where they were born, you know. It's even possible that they were never told or that they never had any interest in such information."

Ino narrowed her eyes at him. Blah, blah, blah. The little bugger could go on and on, geez. And he called her _troublesome_. And not even once, either! He thought it was his personal job to remind her everyday that she was a shitload of work to take care of. Like she had asked to be paired up with a lazy ass like him! "All right then," she snapped, rolling her eyes, "Next question: what's your favorite color?"

"I don't have one."

The blonde haired girl let out a frustrated groan as she kicked at the leg of her desk. "See, this is why it's so hard working with you," Ino cried, "I can't write anything about you! You don't like anything at all! You're so-so...boring! I mean, what do you do besides watching the stupid clouds and playing Shogi?" She covered her eyes with her hand as she leaned back into her chair, trying to calm herself down. It was a rather relaxing sensation, the feeling of almost floating, almost like you were-

_CRASH!_

-falling. Of course. This always had to happen to her, didn't it? Grumbling, Ino rubbed the back of her head as she struggled to get up from the floor. Shikamaru stared languidly to his side where a large window was conveniently placed for his viewing. She swore she felt a vein pop on her forehead as he continued to ignore her presence, as if the sound of someone falling off their chair didn't create some sort of commotion.

"Hey!" Shikamaru turned his head, raising a brow at the sight of Ino struggling to sit up from her position on the floor. He smirked as she waved her arms around, trying to grab a nearby desk leg, only to catch air in her hands. She really was such a troublesome girl: noisy, clumsy, rambunctious, and in every way like Naruto-...except...

Except that she had the most incredible, long, smooth legs he had ever fucking seen. Shikamaru sighed, averting his eyes from the increasingly shortening hem of Ino's skirt. Damn. He could feel his cheeks heat up as Ino paused in her struggling. "Are you going to just sit there?" she hissed, "Help me!"

The first thought that popped into Shikamaru's mind was _no_-not because the view of the sky he had from his seat was the best he had, second to actually laying down outside on the grass during lunch, or because it took too much energy to actually get up and help pick up a girl who probably weighed almost as much as he did. His first thought was _No_ (now with a capital "N" because her skirt was probably nonexistent at this point) due to the sensitive, raging hormones in his body that were easily triggered by someone so, _yes,_ beautiful, as Ino.

"SHIKAMARU!" she hissed, reaching over and managing to smack his thigh. Without meaning to, he jumped a mile in his seat at her touch. And also, without meaning to, because it took a lot of will power for him to look away in the first place, he saw Ino, her skirt now pulled up dangerously high, her legs open in an angle that was much too wide for any male within a one foot proximity to resist oogling at. "Shikamaru," Ino said, almost pleadingly. Damn, she was getting desperate now.

He looked around the room in a frenzy (but in an incredibly calm, lazy way, of course)—wasn't there anyone else that could help her? Really? He caught sight of her pouting, her glossy lips jutted out, her hands outstretched to him. Shikamaru groaned as he kicked back his chair and slowly inched towards Ino, his gaze never leaving a point on the wall he was determined to stare at until he was finished helping her up.

"Took you long enough," she commented, rolling her blue eyes, though he didn't see that because he really was still staring at the wall and not at her luscious, peachy, smooth, long...legs. Wow.

It really wasn't fair that someone could look that good in granny panties.

"...Shikamaru, are you looking up my skirt?"

He wisely chose not to reply.

oo4. Suigetsu and Karin (with a guest appearance of: Uchiha Sasuke)

She was going to fucking kill him. If not today, she was sure she would tomorrow. All the necessary ingredients for Suigetsu's death were so easily obtainable that it was ridiculous as to why an assassin didn't kill off the idiot sooner. No one was going to miss him anyway. Not really, at least. Maybe just a little bit.

Karin would kind of, sort of miss physically abusing him (and if emotion could be measured, then she was sure her missing him couldn't even be weighed on a scale.) Life was easy knowing you had a spare punching bag around, that was all. She _could_ buy an actual one, in case one of her many plans actually worked and Suigetsu really died, but it just wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't make the same groans of pain or spiteful, biting remarks that made her punch him again.

The depressing thing was, her emotions were relatively well under control whenever Suigetsu wasn't around. The thing about him was that he knew exactly which buttons he had to press to set her off. And Karin had tried very hard to not explode, which led her to see many counselors, therapists, and psychologists, who all had been socked at one point or another. (That is, excluding her latest one, whose company she enjoyed immensely.)

Karin had tried all the techniques to keep beating up Suigetsu at bay, but whatever it was—breathing slowly, counting to ten, calming herself down, stabbing a nearby desk with her pencil before inflicting any damage to him with it—it never worked. Suigetsu was like her personal anger trigger. She couldn't even help her utter frustrations against him. He provoked her in every way possible, whether it was accidental or done with purpose. He just made her so very...angry.

All the time?

Karin pondered on this thought. Did Suigetsu piss her off every single moment she was with him? Sighing, her dark red eyes flashed over the scene before her, taking in the scene of students as they sat in groups along the campus, engaging in idle chatter under the green foliage. They flickered to the sky top above her, bright beams of sunlight getting past the wide leaves that shadowed her. Karin shifted on the thick branch she was sitting on, scooting backwards so that she felt her own back touch the rough texture of the tree.

She actually wasn't sure how she got up here. And the actual problem would be she had no idea how to get the hell down. Not to mention, the bark was starting to make her butt itch—something she would never, ever say in the presence of...well, anybody, to be honest (especially Sasuke) with the exception of Suigetsu. She could say, tell, and do anything to Suigetsu because she didn't give a damn on what he thought about her. Sasuke, on the other hand, she cared a lot. Karin cared a whole lot on what Sasuke thought of her.

Unfortunately for her, she wasn't the one who was blessed to have him as her English partner. Sakura was. Karin scowled, roughly tearing off a piece of chipping wood off the trunk and throwing it to the ground. "Shit! That hurt! Where the fuck did that come from?" a voice shouted from below.

Karin knew that voice. It sounded all too familiar to her. Her first instinct told her Sasuke, but she knew it couldn't be because Sasuke never said anything more than an average of three words per sentence. She knew. She counted his words with care. So Sasuke was definitely out of the question. Which meant...the only possible male it could be was...

"Ughh," she groaned, leaning her head back against the tree. Of course. Suigetsu. It was either him or some weird kid she had never met before, and Karin would rather get help from the former than a stranger. "Hey, Suigetsu, is that you?" she called, peering over the branch she was sitting on. She heard a rustle of rapid movement from below her.

"Hello?" he replied, his voice suspicious. Suigetsu didn't believe in a God, but he was pretty sure if there was a God, then they wouldn't sound so feminine. Or have such a high-pitched voice, anyway. He always imagined those types of immortals to have deep, resonating voices that made you feel like you were in a cave with all the dramatic echoes. And besides, the voice sounded too much like Karin to—wait. What?

Up on the tree, Karin wondered if it wasn't Suigetsu at all and she had just scared some random school-mate to think that there were voices in trees. _Or_, she thought, a grim expression on her face, _Suigetsu is just very, very stupid_. After a moment of listening to the all too cheery birds chirp at one another, she heard another rustle below her that slowly ebbed away to silence (except the birds. Fuck you stupid airborne featherheads. They were lucky they could fly away so quickly before she was able to catch them.)

"Suigetsu!" Karin called, her eyes scanning the now empty ground below her, "Anyone? Hello?" She was greeted with chirping. Fuming, she turned her head in their direction, her bangs framing her face haphazardly, "Shut the fuck up before I wring your goddamn neck—SUIGETSU!" She screamed. She really couldn't' help herself, after all. It wasn't everyday you were threatening birds and a white-haired freak just pops up in your face. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Where were you," she hissed dangerously, "When I called your name five fucking minutes ago?"

Suigetsu shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe I was too busy climbing up here to surprise you." He threw her a cheesy grin as he dodged her fist. "Aww, c'mon, I'm here, aren't I? Your, ahh-," he air-quoted, "—knight in shining armor, and all that. Show a little love, Karin, hmm? Or are you upset I wasn't your dear Sasuke-kun?"

She glowered at him. "Do you want me to push you?"

"You'll miss me much more than him. And besides, I'll come back as a ghost to haunt you. Then you can never punch me," he laughed. Funny, she was thinking on how to kill him only a few moments ago.

"It's not like I ever manage to hit you, anyway," Karin muttered darkly.

"Yeah, yeah. If you wanna hit me so bad, I'll let you," Suigetsu said breezily. Her eyebrows rose at the offer. "Don't look so suspicious. Here, just let me go over where you are so you can get a better throw." With ease that made Karin tingle with jealously, Suigetsu leapt from his branch to hers. Though they weren't very far off, the fact that he had the guts to do it ticked her off. And here she was, moping on how she couldn't get off a branch.

Speaking of which, how far up were they?

"All, right, I'm ready," Suigetsu said, settling down in front of her. He pointed at his cheek with his index finger, grinning. "Hit me any time, sister."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Any time. Just don't take too long or else I'll get a rash on my ass."

He looked pretty serious (and ridiculous, as anyone who requested to get hit looked like) at the same time, smiling pleasantly at her while waiting to get punched in the face. Karin pulled her arm back. This was what she was waiting for, right? A little taste of revenge? Then why did her arm feel so heavy?

Did she really want to do this?

Yes. Of course she did. She hated the guy. With a little more determination, Karin pulled her arm back a little more until her elbow touched the tree trunk then let it rip. Her fist traveled in slow motion, and it reached his face inch by inch, her heart beating quicker with each passing distance. She closed her eyes and hoped it didn't hurt him too much.

His cheek was warm. Very warm. It enclosed around her hand, and—holy shit, wait what? Cheeks do not enclose around someone's hands. Cheeks do not feel as though they have five separate limbs. In an instant, Karin's eyes were open wide. She wondered when the world turned so very purple.

It took her a moment to realize that Suigetsu was pressing her flush against the tree trunk while they were both awkwardly sitting down the branch. And then, for a while, she felt something warm press against her lips, hard, a finger trailing down the side of her face before tracing her jawline. Suigetsu leaned back, winked, then jumped off. Karin's eyes followed as he ran back towards the campus.

She blinked, her face all too red and her lips suddenly cool without his presence on them. It took her another moment to realize what had just happened. "SUIGETSU!" she roared, "YOU FUCKING COWARD, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"

"Karin, what the hell are you doing?" Peering down, she saw Sasuke with an eyebrow raised at her, arms crossed as he stared at her. Then, suddenly, a smirk graced his face. "You're blushing," he noted, and at that, she turned even redder, "Something happen with Suigetsu?" He was practically grinning like a maniac now at her expense. That was a total of thirteen words. About 4 times more than he usually said to any one of his fan girls. She blinked at her mental calculations, wondering how she could process that faster than the fact that Suigetsu had just kissed her.

Karin's eyes narrowed dangerously, growling, "Uchiha, shut the fuck up and help me get down from this goddamn tree before I make you regret it."

Sasuke thought it was a good idea he didn't tell her how close to the ground she was at this point.

* * *

Thank you to: **GoldenKitsuneHime13, CassaraLove, Kon_chibi, 123, and Girl-with-obsessions.** You guys were either anonymous reviewers or had your PMing disabled, so I couldn't tell you THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I LOVE YOUU! :)

So, this is a bonus chapter. I finished writing it at 1AM yesterday night and I just checked it over this morning for any errors.

Yeah.

So, hoped you guys liked it, and I'll try to post up the next chapter...soon. :)

looooooooooove, moodyaura.


	17. songs

Songs

1. "Once Upon a Time" by The Pogues

2. "The Fame" by Lady Gaga

3. "Beautiful Dirty Rich" by Lady Gaga

4. "If You Can Afford Me" by Katy Perry

5. "Baby Got Back" by Sir-Mix-A-Lot

6. "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada

7. "Sweet Dream" by Beyonce

8. "Realize" by Colbie Caillat

9. "Tangled Up in Me" by Skye Sweetnam

10. "Start All Over" by Miley Cyrus

11. "Who Knew" by Pink

12. "You Drive Me Crazy" by Britney Spears

13. "The Ultimate Showdown" by Lemon Demon

14. "At Last" by Etta James

15. "Thnks fr the Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy

16. not a song

17. not a song

I'll update this as I update the story.


	18. nutterjacket

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Urdu

-شروع!-

"Ugh." In front of me sat a disgruntled blonde who hid her face in her hands as a groan slowly emitted from her mouth. She made a wail as if she were great pain (she wasn't—I asked five times already, and her reply to my inquiries were a simple wave of the hand before she resumed to wallow in her misery.) Ever the drama queen, Ino, she was. But then again, my life would have been just a _tad_ bit less interesting without her occasional outbursts. My plate would have been full either way, though. Between faking as a fan girl for the mighty Uchiha Sasuke, who was so important that not including his surname would have made the emphasis weak, and actually organizing events for the fan club, I was quite a busy student. Not to mention, there was the schoolwork, the homework, the studying, tests, socializing...

And my father told me being a student was_ easy_. He obviously does not remember what it was like being a sixteen-year old or all the complications that came along with it. After all, over the age of forty, there was little chaos or drama in his life. That aside, I still had a problem at hand. Sighing, I stared grimly at the mess in front of me. "Are you going to tell me now or later?" Ino made a muffled noise against her arms, her blue eyes narrowing sharply at me (which were, so far, the only visible things on her face as her arms covered everything else.) Ignoring her glare, I went on, "Because you're going to say it sometime, so you might as well tell me now and get it over with."

There was a moment of tense silence, me with an eyebrow raised at her, challenging her to speak, and her still trying to drill a hole into a skull with her stare. Finally, and I thanked Kami, she pushed her arms out ahead of her, stretching them out against the table, saying, "Fine. But only because you insisted so dearly." I wanted to scoff, but that would've only caused the disconsolate girl to withdraw back into her former position, so I restrained myself. Ino drew herself up and said, sniffing, "It's Shikamaru."

...Shikamaru? The lethargic, indolent boy that never bothered to do his homework, classwork, or exams, but apparently was a genius? How was someone that lazy, who couldn't even bother to pick up their own pencil to write their name on a test paper, bring out a reaction from anybody? Apparently, these thoughts, though not spoken out loud, formed an expression of great disbelief to cross my face, which Ino noticed with a look of disdain, as if saying, '_How in the world can you not believe me?'_ To which I replied, "Really? What could he have possibly done when he barely moves at all?"

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" Ino snapped, crossing her arms waspishly. While what she asked was stated as a question, I actually had no say in the matter. All I could do was mumble an apology and wait for her to go on. "Well," she proceeded, "During our interviews, we got into a little argument. I was leaning back in my chair and-...well, fell off." She whipped her head at me, ponytail flying as I guffawed, desperately trying to hide my laughter behind my hands. I mouthed another apology before ushering her to go on. "So, as I was saying before being rudely interrupted," Ino said, "I fell off my chair. (Cue more silent laughter) I tried to get up, but I couldn't. So I asked Shikamaru to help me. And when he did, he grabbed my hands and was about to pull me up, but he stopped."

"Why?" I asked, now genuinely curious as to what had happened.

Cheeks reddening, Ino stared down at her lap as she continued, "He was looking up my skirt." To which, of course, I laughed at—peals of laughter that were no longer even being attempted to be concealed. I felt a stretch of pain in my stomach as I fell against the empty bench I sat on, tears rolling down my eyes. "It's not funny," Ino hissed, slamming her palm against the lunch table, "He looked up my skirt, Sakura. It's—it's disgusting. I can't even—ARGHH." Obviously frustrated, she pulled wildly at her hair, now mangled and messy.

When I got up, there was a mane in place of the sleek ponytail Ino had on seconds before. This was no time to crack up, I realized, as funny as her hair looked, because Ino was seriously pissed off. Sighing, I walked over to her side of the table and sat down next to her. "Here, let me fix your hair. And don't take your anger out on it," I chided as she turned her back to me, slouched over as grumbles escaped her lips. Carefully, after taking out the hair band, I smoothed out her blonde tresses before re-tying it to her usual fashion. "There," I said, smiling proudly, "And don't think too much on Shikamaru. You're too pretty to begin with and he has an overdose of hormones."

Wailing, Ino enveloped me in a bear hug. "He didn't even say sorry!" she cried, "He just ran off after the bell rang! I've been trying to find the idiot after class to give him a piece of my mind, but he just disappeared! " Soothingly, I patted her back. I was pretty sure no guy would want an infuriated Ino to even be in a ten-foot radius of them, but that wasn't the right thing to say to her at the moment. Then, only seconds later, she straightened, suddenly alert. "Hey," Ino said suspiciously, her face free of tears, "Where's Hinata?"

My face took on a similar expression. "Yeah, you're right, where is she? The last time I saw her was in class after the bell rang, when Naruto grabbed her and ran out of the class...room," I paused mid-word before finishing what I was going to say, suddenly realizing the implication of that sentence. Slowly, Ino and I turned to face each other before we each emitted a piercing shriek.

"NO WAY!" we squealed in unison.

But of course, there was only one logical, rational thing we could do at the time, upon finding out our best friend was (possibly) currently alone with the love of her life: SPY! Ino and I scourged the school grounds for the two of them, tip toeing where there were less people and walking by casually when there were many. They weren't particularly hard to find. The only reason it took a while was because they sat on the section of the campus where the third-years usually were. Naruto, having mass connections, was allowed to sit there for the day, undisturbed by the older kids.

The couple (AHAHAHA!) sat next to each other on an empty bench, Hinata's bento box placed between them. In one of her ears was an earbud, the other located in Naruto's, who held an iPod in his hand. Ino and I giggled furtively behind our bush as I took out my camera. "Ooh, Sakura, you're so bad!" she cackled, poking me playfully in the arm. Grinning, I pushed the camera lens out of the bush and quickly snapped a couple of shots of them together.

"She'll be thanking us later," I said, and Ino nodded. We both slunk out of the area quietly before anyone noticed. "Success!" I raised my hand for a high-five, which Ino happily returned. "I can't wait to see the look on Hinata's face after I get these developed, don't you, Ino?" I was walking ahead of her, unknowingly, and after spotting the empty presence next to me, I turned around. "Ino?" The blonde was staring at a point not very far in the distance. It was distinguishable from all the other points scattered next to it because of its spiky, almost pineapple-like hairdo.

It took me a moment to realize just what she was snarling at.

"Oh, shit, Ino, don't—" I cried, reaching out for her. But it was too late. She started running for Shikamaru, (who, poor guy, was completely oblivious of what was going to happen) her face contorted to an expression of fury. I winced as I watched (from a very safe distance, I might add) as she jumped on him, tackling him to the floor. May I say, despite being rather feminine, Ino was known for having a particular talent in football. Tackle football, that is. "That's going to leave a mark," I commented. Well, it wasn't my problem, I supposed, and walked on, fiddling with the camera.

And of course, it was just my luck that I stumbled onto_ another_ couple. I heard a roar, something similar to an angered gorilla, come from above as a white-haired boy (...Suigetsu?) sprinted past me, not even noticing my presence. The gorilla turned out to be Karin, whose flaming red face matched her equally red hair. For some reason I was sure I didn't want to know, she was on a tree only a few yards away. Conveniently, there was a row of bushes that provided me with a perfect view of the scene that was about to unfold.

I say unfold because moments after Suigetsu ran off came Sasuke, who sauntered past the tree Karin was on before stopping to look up. He said _something_, I was sure of it, but from where I was, I couldn't hear exactly what it was. Scowling, I brought the camera up to my eye as I focused on the pair, the lens unseen within the shrubbery. Apparently, Sasuke must have said something pretty embarrassing as Karin was blushing again.

To my surprise, she snarled at him, eyes narrowed dangerously. I caught the word "fuck" as it was mouthed on her lips. Apparently, Karin was not in a good mood: which basically means if, for some strange reason, I'm caught, _I'm_ fucked. Badly. But since I wasn't in any immediate danger, I decided to spy on the couple (MWAHAHAHA! I love how this word can be used in this context) just a bit more. Sasuke had his arms open wide as if he were about to—

Oh.

_This _was rich.

Sniggering, I zoomed in on the two a bit more before snapping a shot: the Uchiha Sasuke, apathetic enigma, school's most wanted boy and all-time hater of fan girls was about to catch Karin as she, rabid fan girl, jumped off the branch she was on. Which was only, what-five feet from the ground? I took another shot of Karin falling mid-air, Sasuke with a look of pure dread with his arms still open. I raised my camera to take the final shot, of him cradling Karin in his arms, bridal-style, the ULTIMATE blackmail and—

**CRASH! **

But of course, all this never happened. Why? Well, I could say it was all a hilarious dream and that I just fell off my bed and that in reality I'm actually not the President of Sasuke's fan club but a normal student of Konoha High whom Sasuke doesn't even know existed. Of course, it's all too far into the story to say something like that, so you don't have to worry about that happening. What I meant to say was that I would never get the final shot I imagined getting of Sasuke and Karin.

Why?

The reason is actually quite simple: he missed.

Sasuke, the idiot that he is, stood too close to the tree, causing Karin to scramble at the air with her arms as she crashed onto him as they both collapsed onto the ground in a rather compromising position. After laughing hysterically (in silence, mind you, for if she catches me, I'm screwed over) I scrambled to grab my camera and snap multiple shots of the two. Karin, eyes wide, glasses hanging off her face on top of a very pained Sasuke, both of whom had messy hair.

All in all, they looked like they were in the middle of a steamy, make-out scene. I'm sure Karin would have enjoyed this picture immensely. I watched as Sasuke pushed the girl none too gently off of him as he got off to brush his clothes free of dirt. On the floor, Karin grabbed at his arm, suddenly beaming with girlish pride as she tried to pull him back down. He shook her arm off and walked off as she reached for him. "SASUKE-KUN!" Karin screamed, "I knew there was a reason why you wanted to catch me!"

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter, rolling around on the grass, clutching my stomach as tears trickled down my cheeks. Did any of them hear me? I prayed to Kami they didn't, but the thought didn't press heavily upon me. I finally stopped, breathing heavily as I laid flat against the ground, eyes squinting as the sun shone brightly down on me. A sense of dread washed over me as a shadow loomed over my body. "Haruno," it said flatly, "I can only imagine the reason why you're laughing hysterically behind this bush."

Of course. It just HAD to be Sasuke. Flushing, I scrambled to get on my feet, brushing off all the dirt on my clothes with my hands. "Hi," I said, forcing a grin. He only threw me a dirty look. This was probably not a good time to bring my camera to attention—which, lucky for me, he didn't notice yet even though it hung in front of my stomach. "Bye!" And with that, I ran off.

I made it to the empty stairwell on the first floor of the school building before I felt someone grab the collar of my shirt and pull me back. Damn. So close, too. "Nice try," he hissed, roughly letting go of me, "Now give me the camera." Oh shoot, so he did notice it!

Feigning innocence, I stared at him wide-eyed, "What for?"

"Don't _'what for'_ me. I know you took pictures of-of what just happened," he spat, saying the last three words as if he just found a dead, wet rat in the corner of his closet. I covered the camera with my hands protectively. "Haruno," Sasuke said dangerously, "Give me the film."

"No!" I cried, swatting at his hand, "It has pictures I need to print out!"

He groaned. "Then give me the fucking negatives when you're done!"

A light bulb flashed above my head. "Not unless you tell me the story of your first kiss, and a first kiss story I can tell the fan girls," I compromised, "And you have to pose for a picture."

"And I get the negatives?" he asked, staring dubiously at me.

"Yes," I said, nodding, "But only after I print out all the pictures I need that's on the film. Then it's all yours." Oh he was still such an idiot. He forgot that I could print the pictures of him and Karin before giving the negatives to him. I think he was still disturbed by what just happened to think the situation out.

Sasuke, looking quite relieved and satisfied with himself, sat down on the staircase. "All right then." I joined him, only a couple of inches separating the flesh of our legs. "You can't tell anyone though," he warned, "And I mean anyone."

"Mmhm. Just get on with it."

He shot me a dirty look. "So. First kiss." I nodded, waiting for him to go on. And to my great surprise, Sasuke started shifting in his seat, a blush slowly rising up in his cheeks. Faintly red and barely there, but it was a blush nonetheless. "It was during my sixth-year of elementary school." He paused. Normally, after a pause, someone would go on to finish what they were about to say. After a full minute, I nudged Sasuke in his ribcage, who narrowed his eyes at me, grumbling under his breath. "Itwaswithnaruto."

"Right. Like I could totally understand that," I rolled my eyes.

He smirked. "Then I don't need to repeat it again, now do I?"

"No! I was being sarcastic!"

"Really, now?" he asked, a brow perched high on his forehead.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Uchiha. Remember who has the pictures here. Say it again, slowly."

Sasuke was positively fuming at this point, his cheeks now tinted a shade of pink. Still rather rapidly, but not quick enough to be jumbled into a mess of indistinguishable words, he repeated, "It was with Naruto."

"Ppfft," I snickered, collapsing against the hand rail of the staircase. Out of breath and gasping for air, I exclaimed, "W-wi-with NARUTO?" before bursting into another fit of laughter. Promptly at my amusement, Sasuke stood up abruptly, and proceeded to walk up the stairs. "Wait!" I grabbed the fabric of his pants, pulling him back, "Sorry, sorry, come back please?" He sat back down next to me huffily, crossing his arms over his knees.

He stared at me threateningly. "You can't tell anyone."

"I won't, promise," I grinned. His lower lip jutted out again, fashioned to the same sullen look he always seemed to have on whenever something embarrassed him. Teasingly, I said, "You're pouting again."

"I am no—"

With alarming speed I raised my camera and captured his facial expression. "Pouting," I said in a sing-song voice, "And you'll see it when this photo gets developed."

Disgruntled, Sasuke gritted out between his teeth, "Uchiha's do not pout."

"Do they really?" I flashed him a charming smile.

"Frowning," he argued.

"Pouting."

"Scowling."

"Pouting."

"Sneering!"

"_Childish _pouting," I added, emphasizing the first word.

"Peevishness."

"Using big words gets you no where, you know. And besides, that's not even a verb."

Pout.

"Ha! Again!"

"Fuck you."

* * *

blargh. it's over.

I will include the picture posing and other stuff in the next (short) chapter.

I didn't want to put it in here because this is already over 3000 words.

so, thank you to everyone who read this and everyone who reviewed! :)

err, I began the PM-ing thing again, so I'm not listing the names anymore unless you're anonymous or you disabled your PM-ing: GoldenKitsuneHime13, Yuyu, kon_chibi, 123, Girl-with-obsessions,

if I forgot to PM or include anyone, message me!

look out for the next chapter. it'll be coming out...soon.

loooooooooove, moodyaura :)

Review this Chapter


	19. crimey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Urdu, Thai

-เริ่มต้น!-

"Hmm..." A soft, thoughtful noise escaped absently from between my lips as my eyes roamed around the area before me. It was after school now. The periods after the chat between Sasuke and I seemed to fly by quickly, whizzing past like the young sparrows that darted in and out of sight by the windows of our classroom. Unfortunately, I was not able to obtain what each of Sasuke's fan girls so greatly desired to hear about: the mesmerizing story of the great Uchiha's first kiss (with a girl, that is.)

After our little argument on his pouting, which he still adamantly denies on doing, I had asked him to finally confess who his actual first kiss had been. However just as the question had left my lips, the bell had rang, the shrill noise echoing in the empty stairwell we sat in. I had stared at him expectantly and waited for him to reply—though at that point, I had highly suspected it was going to be something along the lines of, "Hell no." As this possibility had run across my thoughts, Sasuke stared at me for a moment, as if considering something. I had been confused by the hesitancy in his eyes at the time. _Hesitant_ wasn't a word I immediately associated with the Uchiha.

Then again, neither was coward. But it had been the first word that had popped into my mind as I watched Sasuke flee up the stairs seconds later, his backside only a large speck against the gray of the stairwell before it disappeared through a door at the top. I had blinked once out of bewilderment before breaking out into laughter at his actions upon realization at what had just happened. At first, I had wondered why Sasuke had been so afraid of not answering my question—after all, it wasn't as if I was the daughter of a famous yakuza family and able to break his bones into five hundred pieces if he dared annoy me (which, if that had been the case, Sasuke wouldn't have been alive long enough to even partner up with me.) And either way, he would have won in the situation even if I was a yakuza kid, as he had the power _and_ the prestige. So, seeing as how I came from a low-middle class family and was hardly threatening, he really had no reason to fear me.

...Except for the blackmail.

Which, I thought, Sasuke had taken a tad bit too seriously. As I climbed up the stairs, bag swinging happily to a bouncy rhythm in my hand, I let out a loud laugh before clasping a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles as both upper and lower classmen rushed past me, staring at the strange, pink-haired girl who was snickering like a maniac to herself. I had finally reached the classroom to find it relatively full. Sasuke sat by himself near the window, his eyes absorbed by the scenery outside. A sparrow flew past.

His eyes had followed the movement of the bird and ended up landing his eyes on me. Sasuke had stiffened, his discomfort increasing as I had approached his desk. I smiled before I had said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He had been silent, perhaps even suspicious of my behavior. As he eyed me warily, I had merely shrugged, lifting my shoulders in a nonchalant matter. "It really doesn't matter to me. So," I had leaned forward a bit, lowering my voice so that the others didn't hear, "Don't take the blackmail threat seriously. But I still expect you to keep your word about the photos—please?" He nodded his head curtly and I had walked to my seat just as Iruka-sensei walked into the classroom to begin our History class.

To return to the present once more, it was after school now. Although there were club activities today, there wasn't much work to be done. I had asked Karin to take over for the day. When she had inquired of the reason for my absence, I merely told her I had things to discuss with Sasuke regarding our project. In all honesty, meeting Sasuke had nothing to do with our project. After the bell rang during our last period class, I had told Sasuke to wait for me up on the roof to begin our picture taking, which is where I'm hoping he is now (that is, unless he completely bailed out on me. Then the blackmail will be taken seriously.)

Karin didn't say much after that, but I felt the intensity of her glare burn a hole through my skull. She, like Sasuke, had merely nodded her head at me and briskly entered the clubroom. I stayed outside the door for a few moments, peeking in discreetly while watching the redhead dictate the announcements to the mass of girls. Within the crowd I saw a familiar looking blonde sitting close to the door, her head turned to me. My eyes met with Ino's strikingly blue ones, who waved at me with her hand hidden underneath the desk. Grinning, I wiggled my fingers in return. She pointed her index finger at me then at Karin who was addressing a first-year with a growl. My lips slowly formed the syllables of my partner's name: "OO-CHEE-A SA-SOO-KE," it mouthed. Ino stuck her tongue out at me. "Lucky," she mouthed back, a pout on her lips. She waved at me once more, this time in farewell, which I returned. Taking one final look at the room I turned to leave and made my way to the roof where the subject of Karin's speech was currently waiting for me.

I walked quickly up the stairs and gave the squeaky roof door a heavy push. A spiky, black-haired head slowly turned in my direction, two delicate eyebrows lifting up in recognition of me. "Sorry I'm late," I apologized, as I hastily laid my bag down on the floor, "I stayed by for a couple of minutes to see how Karin was doing." A grunt wafted through my ear, presumably from Sasuke, who sat on the concrete floor with his legs splayed out in front of him, head tilted back as if absorbing the sunlight that was shining on us. I shuffled through the contents of my bag, fingering the various notebooks and folders before pulling one out. Opening it, I pulled out several pieces of paper and spread them out in a fan-like fashion on the floor before taking a seat beside him. "Hmm."

I stared at each of them, furrowing my brows together. Most were left over requests I had yet to do and the remaining others were photo ideas I had scribbled down when the idea had struck me. Plucking one out, I flashed the order in front of Sasuke's face. His black eyes squinted at the text. "An intense look," he read, though it came out as more of a question. "Toshibiki Ayame," he continued, "Class 1-A." Sasuke crinkled his nose in distaste as his finger gently pushed the paper away from him, as if it might contaminate him. He turned his head to me, eyebrow raised, "So, what does that have to do with me?" A long sigh left my mouth. From my seat, I reached over to pull my bag towards me, fishing out my camera.

"You're obviously my model here," I replied, rolling my eyes lightly, pulling the leather neck strap over my head, "So for this request, I just need you to glare at something." Once the camera was raised to my eyes, I saw through the lens him raise his eyebrows momentarily before focusing his gaze directly at me. I will admit that having an Uchiha throwing daggers straight at you might be one of the most heart-stopping, throat-clenching moments ever. There was such intensity in the way he narrowed his eyes, the inky black irises forming slits against his creamy skin. It was as if every hateful emotion had been jam-packed into that single look he gave. When I found my voice, I called out to him, "Not at the camera. In another direction." I motioned my hand to the left. "That way."

Sasuke's head followed, now turned to an almost three-fourths view of his head from where I was. "Like that?" he asked, his eyes still on me. His legs were bent with his arms propped up on his knees, hands hanging loosely. His form looked all right—very relaxed, mellow almost. But I wasn't going for a Shikamaru-look here. I needed intensity. A corner of my lip tugged downwards as I focused on his face. It wasn't at the right angle, I thought, his head was still facing my direction too much. Without saying a word I reached over and grabbed his chin with my hand and jerked it roughly more to the left. My bare knee dug into the gritty texture of the floor (...or roof, I'm not quite sure...), my other hand pressed palm-wise into it as well to support myself.

It took me a moment to realize what I was doing. The warmth of Sasuke's face danced on my fingertips as I let go. "Oh. Sor—" I stopped, pausing before slowly moving in front of him. His eyes were slightly widened, no longer holding any of the wrath that was so prominent in his eyes seconds before. The scowl had retracted; his lips were parted open a crack, barely forming an "o."

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, I raised my camera, my fingers automatically adjusting the lens before pressing the shutter. His face was now forever embedded in film. At the _click!_, Sasuke's expression fell, returning to the normal, indifference he wore. I tilted my head to the side and examined him. "I guess that could be considered cute. Slightly comical, maybe," I muttered thoughtfully, more to myself than him. I got up and walked back to the pile of papers to remove one that said "with a SUPER CUTE look on his face, please!" and set it aside from the others.

"Cute?" he asked from behind me. It sounded as if he were trying not to show that he was choking on his words.

I shrugged. "Yeah, you looked all surprised in that photo." I turned my head around and glanced at him from over my shoulder. He was still seated on the floor in the exact same position as before—only now, his head was turned to face me fully. My gaze returned to the papers on the floor, shuffling them around in no particular order. "It's pretty cute for a guy who doesn't show any emotions besides irritation to his fan girls."

He paused, "Except you."

"Except me," I echoed, smiling lightly, "But then again, I'm not a fan girl, now am I?" Turning around on my heel, I clasped my hands together. "Now then, let's return to the 'intense look,' shall we?"

Sasuke merely grunted in response before complying with my order. This time, he didn't react much when I moved his face and limbs around to find the perfect pose. "Any much longer?" he asked, as I shifted bits of his hair from his face, "I'm starting to lose all my anger. And my face hurts." He had been narrowing his eyes at the same point for a couple of minutes now. Oh please, as if he hadn't glared at me for an entire period. Hadn't he been tired then?

I rolled my eyes and straightened the collar on his shirt. "Stop being such a baby." I smiled to myself in satisfaction as I moved back from him. "Done! And don't move," I said warningly, holding my hand palm-up to him.

He let out a short snort between his down-turned lips. "You looked like you were having a lot of fun adjusting me," Sasuke commented dryly, raising an eyebrow out of habit. He lowered it quickly when I pointed an accusing finger at his facial change. Before he made anymore movements, I quickly took the shot of him.

"Well, to be honest," I began slowly, fingering the buttons on my camera, "It sort of felt like playing with a doll."

"...Am I supposed to be insulted or flattered?"

I shrugged. "Take your pick. ANYWAYS," my hands picked up another sheet of paper, waving it in front of his face, "The next request!"

We finished all of them after a couple of hours. The sun hadn't quite started to set yet, but the faint hint of a sunset lingered in the horizon, a pale orange staining the blue sky. The length of our photo shoot had been greatly shortened thanks to Sasuke, who had quickly gotten used to adjusting his position without my help. We walked side by side down the school's empty front yard. 'Thank you for your hard work today!" I said to him as we reached one of the school's back entrances, which had been closer to the exit we had used to get out of the school.

Sasuke merely sighed, turning his weary eyes on me. "That was such an annoyingly long process. What a drag," he muttered, lifting a hand to wipe the sweat off his brow. I laughed. He was beginning to sound like Shikamaru. But in all honesty, modeling seemed quite tiring: firstly because with an obstinate photographer like me, the pose and expression had to be perfect for me to take it. Some of the requests had called for postures Sasuke wasn't comfortable doing, such as smiling, which we attempted doing, but later abandoned. Secondly, his body had to stay in a pose that may look nice but was actually quite uncomfortable until I was satisfied with it.

The gate was locked, but a gardener had been nearby at the time and opened it for us. We thanked them and continued on our way. Only a few feet out of school grounds did my eye catch sight on a vending machine that was nearby. "To reward you, I'll buy you a drink from the machine," I said, grinning at him, "Come on, my treat!"

I ran off ahead of him, my feet making a pounding rhythm against the sidewalk. Behind me, I heard Sasuke let out a groan before he slowly caught up to me. We stopped in front of the machine, peering at the various cans presented through the glass. "That one," he said finally, his index finger touching the surface directly in front of his preferred drink.

"Vegetable juice?" I crinkled my nose at the thought, "So healthy." But nonetheless, I slipped in the appropriate amount of change into the coin slot and punched in the corresponding letter-number code. The machine let out a screeching squeal before the can tumbled down noisily into the compartment. I pushed my hand through the flap and grabbed the can, handing it to him. Sasuke took it wordlessly, only nodding his head at me.

The drink was popped open, a sipping noise reaching my ears seconds later. "Which one are you getting?" he asked.

"Mm..." My eyes stared at the various, colorful cans. "That one, I guess," I decided, pointing to an orange soda.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him make a slight face. "So sweet," he muttered, frowning.

"You don't like sweet things?" I inquired, staring at him now. He shook his head. "Ah! No wonder you reject all the desserts the girls make for you! I can't believe I never bothered asking you this before!" Quickly, I crouched down on the ground, scrambling through my bag. I took out a pen and a notepad, scribbling down my newly discovered fact on Sasuke. "Y'know, it would've been a lot less heartbreaking to the girls if you had just told them that—"

I couldn't quite finish my sentence as a can was suddenly thrust into my face. I leaned back, staring at it. "Here," Sasuke said, dropping it into my lap. The can felt cold against the material of my shirt.

I blinked, my sentence now completely forgotten. "But it was my treat," I said.

"And this is my treat. For your hard work."

My eyes never left the orange drink in my lap. "Then...thank you," I smiled.

"Hm."

Finishing my writing, I put the pen and notepad back into my bag before swinging it over my shoulder. With my other hand I took hold of the can and popped it open. I raised my open can to him with a raise of my brow. Smirking, Sasuke clinked his against mine as we both took a drink.

He really wasn't such a bad guy, I realized.

The carbonated liquid tickled my throat as it went down into my stomach. "So," I said, pausing slightly as a puckering sensation rolled down my tongue, "We have to meet during Golden Week." I took another swig of my drink and swallowed. "Are you going anywhere during that time? I know a lot of people like to travel during Golden Week."

"No," he answered. Which I found rather strange. Most of the students in my homeroom were going to Europe or the States during this time—firstly because it was usually done and secondly because they had the money to do so. Since Sasuke is one of the wealthiest of these students, I had naturally assumed he would be going somewhere. I had only hoped that his vacation would not last for the entire break so that we could meet at least once before or after he left.

I merely nodded in response, not wanting to voice any of these thoughts aloud. "I think you should come to a café in my neighborhood. It's not very crowded and the coffee they serve is really good. The atmosphere is also nice, so we can really get some interviewing done there." Then I tilted my head at him, studying his appearance. "Though you definitely do stand out from most of the customers there. You should try to really dress down because, well, a lot of girls might go bonkers at the thought of the Uchiha Sasuke being there. So wear a cap or something. Or," I gestured with my hand, "Don't gel your hair."

The corner of his lips curled downwards. "I don't gel my hair," Sasuke muttered, rubbing a strand between his fingertips.

"Eh? You mean it's all natural?" He gave a short nod of his head. His eyes narrowed as I began to snigger. "It makes," I said, grinning widely at him, "The nicknames even funnier." When he gave me a blank stare, I laughed even harder, covering my mouth with a hand. "You mean you don't know?" I finally choked out, feeling tears gathering in my eyes. I raised my hand to wipe them away. "I don't think I should be the one telling you this, then."

Sasuke's voice was threatening. "Tell me," he ordered.

"All right." My cheeks were flushed from mirth. "To name a few there's," I counted off with my fingers, "Duckbutt, Cockatoo, Birdbrain, Chicken Head, Spikes for Feathers, Flights of Fury, What the Cat Dragged In, Mama Hen, and Mother Clucker..." My voice slowly trailed off as I stared at him, growing continually more and more regretful of telling him all this. His silence was abnormally longer than usual and the darkening aura that surrounded his body unsettled me. Reluctantly, I called out to him, "Erm, Sasuke?"

"Naruto..." his voice was full of malice.

Panicked by the fury consumed in his throat, I waved my hands at him. "Not all of it was made by Nartuo!" I blurted out quickly, "Some of the names were thought up by me." Sasuke turned his glowering eyes at my quivering figure. My body seemed to move on its own by my fear: fidgeting feet, squirmy stares, hands nervously playing with each other. Moments later, his face was composed with a placid air. He didn't have to say anything. I saw the question in his eyes: why? I let out a huge breath, averting my eyes down to my feet. I felt antsy under receiving his full attention. "You know how before all this," I began, gesturing at the space between us, "You were sort of a jackass to me?" A hint of a smirk tugged at his lips, which I took to mean _yes._ "Well, Naruto knows about my true identity," I air-quoted the last two words, "And I sit next to him in a couple of classes. So whenever your eally pissed me off, I would just rant at Naruto about you using those nicknames as a code for you so that no one would know what I was talking about. Then Naruto began using them too."

My heart was hammering in my chest. What would he say? What would he think? Would he be so mad at me that all the friendship we acquired up till now would dissipate and be nothing more? His answer came in a monotone, "I see." Nothing much to get at from there. And I wasn't able to tear my gaze away from my shoes, still inspecting them thoroughly for grime.

I shifted my weight back and forth on the balls of my feet, leaning forward and backward. "My favorite," I said, hesitating for a moment, "Is Mother Clucker." A light snort was heard, only a breath of air between his lips. When I finally looked up at him, he was fully smirking, and I felt a sense of relief hit my heart knowing he wasn't insulted.

Everything was fine.

* * *

Firstly, I'm so sorry about the late update. I'm still swamped with tests and projects so my next update won't be until next month or so. :(

I really did miss writing this story, though.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and continued to support this story even though I hadn't updated in forever. I really truly appreciate you all.

This chapter was just typed up quick without any thorough edits so I'm sorry if it sucks ass, but I really wanted to put something up for you guys to show that I'm not "dead." And I'm sorry I couldn't even take the time to write down all of the names of the reviewers or send you a PM.

I'll do that for the next one—promise!

So thank you again, and I hope you'll keep on reading. :)

-love, moodyaura.


	20. boob job

I am SO sorry for the late update. But here it is. It was so hard trying to finish this chapter. D:

I hope you guys like it, and I am REALLY sorry for taking so long.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Urdu, Thai, **Turkish**

I'm running out of languages...(at least, those on the online translators, anyways.)

-Başladı!-

The café was called the DOKIDOKI KISSATEN, or, in English, the Heartbeat Café. It was of average size, fashioned with dark brown and cream colored décor, rows of bookcases made of fine cherry wood that would have our local library writhe with jealousy, and pastries that looked like works of art displayed for all to see in long, glass counters. Cakes and all that aside, the drinks were to kill for—if you had the money to afford them, that is. A regular cup of coffee cost $5.00 while the other various types only increased in price (such as, my favorite, a Taro Frappuccino-like drink that cost a whopping $7.00.) However, in actuality, the price one paid for their food and drinks was actually paying for the hours they stayed in the coffee shop.

In Japan, a café is more than a place to drink coffee—it's a hangout for friends, to talk business, to read (as supplemented by the numerous amount of books), to study, to rest, to play video games—once more provided by the coffee shop-, and, sometimes, a place to hear certain types of music, such as jazz or rock. A customer should never be rushed out of the kissaten, no mater how long their stay might be as long as it was before closing time. The Heartbeat Café was a favorite spot of mine in our neighborhood and one I would often chat with my friends over the weekend. It was moderately crowded, so Sasuke's arrival would not make so much of an impact. Hopefully, he would remember to dress down.

Today was May 2, which was in the middle of something called Golden Week, a vacation applying to all of Japan, this year lasting from April 29th to May 5th. Outside the café doors I waited for Sasuke under the late afternoon sun, feeling the slight trickle of sweat already roll down my neck. It was getting warmer with each passing month and summer would soon become hell with the intense blistering heat that was associated with my country. And the humidity—don't even get me started. With a sigh, I reached for my phone from my bag and searched through my contacts for Sasuke's number. I had managed to get it out of him the last day before school ended, promising repeatedly that I wouldn't give it to his fan club. He had stared at me with great hesitation before reluctantly scrawling it down across a piece of paper before hopping into his car. I suppose technically it wasn't his car as he wasn't the one driving it, but still. He has a chauffeur. He has an air-conditioned vehicle to carry him off to wherever he wants to go. I have a bus ticket and a slowly growing hatred for walking long distances.

It felt a bit strange not wearing my school uniform. Of course, some students actually do wear it everywhere they go. I personally like having a bit of freedom in fashion, which is why I pulled out something from my drawers this morning, my white blouse and knee-length skirt staring forlornly at me from its neatly folded state on my desk. But even with this freedom, I am still greatly restricted by the scant number of clothing I own, as this sort of chance really only comes around for a couple of months in the spring and summertime. I tugged the edge of my denim shorts down, the revealed skin feeling incredibly bare and open after being covered for so long. On top I wore a green shirt speckled with pink that I had received from Ino for Christmas. She had told me it brought my eyes out and to wear it often—when I could, that is.

My finger grazed the touch screen of my cell phone, whizzing down to my contacts to find his name. Before I could press to call him, a voice stopped me. "Looking for someone?" they said dryly. I turned my head and caught sight of a boy standing in front of me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his red gym shorts. He was wearing a rather fitted white T-shirt on top, his toned stomach and arms teasingly peeking through the thin material. I would have liked to see his face to recognize him, but unfortunately, they were covered by a pair of oversized sunglasses. A red baseball cap covered the top of his head, the rest of his hair sticking out oddly underneath.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I...know you?" The boy let out a sharp sigh before leaning a bit too close for comfort towards me. I took a step back and hit the brick café wall, my bare arms scratching against its rough texture. He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath before quickly taking off his sunglasses, his dark eyes narrowed at me. "Oh," I stared at him, a pleased look growing on my face, "Oh! Is that you, Sasuke?" He shoved the glasses back up his face, one corner of his lip curled downwards. My eyes roamed over his outfit once more before I burst into laughter. "You know," I said, grinning widely at him, "When I said dress down, I didn't mean this down, but it's pretty good." I looked him over once more, nodding, "I think it suits you very well."

"Let's just go in," Sasuke said flatly, pushing the door open with his foot. Surprisingly enough, he held the door open for me in a gentlemanly manner.

"Thank you." I smiled at him and went in.

He snorted lightly. "You smile too much," he said and walked on ahead of me, ignoring a waitress who tried to get his attention. It was funny to see that even with the drastically different clothes on, he was still the same old Sasuke underneath. I followed after him, giving the disgruntled girl an apologetic look as I passed her. Sasuke had taken a seat in the very corner of the café, away from all the windows. To his great irritation, which I could sense even behind his disguise, the same waitress had scampered after us with a slight frown on her face. Wordlessly, she put two menus on our tables, bowed slightly at us and left us alone. "Finally," he muttered, taking off his glasses and placing them on the table.

A light sigh escaped between my lips. "Would it kill you to treat them with some amount of politeness? Not all of them are after you, y'know," I said, staring pointedly at him. He gave the reply to my request through a deep scowl (which I took to mean "No." Ah, Sasuke, you speak without bounds through your silence.) "Anyway, about the project," my eyes scanned down the cutely designed menu, focusing more on the high numbers that told the price of the drinks rather than the actually substance itself, "I can't believe Anko-sensei changed it last minute!" How much money had I brought with me? Letting go of the menu, I rummaged through my bag to find my wallet.

"It wasn't that much of a big change," Sasuke commented. I turned my attention to him for a moment, noticing that he was looking thorough the menu as well before going back to what I was doing. "All we have to do now," he said, continuing, "Is just keep an objective point of view on our subject." Unbeknownst to me, his eyes had wandered over to my form as I scrambled through my bag, one of his eyebrows raised delicately in fascination and curiosity. "_What _are you doing?" A surge of panic overcame me, stamping out every noise that should have come through my ear and went to my brain to interpret. The only thing that ran across my mind was a ramble of panicked thoughts.

There was no way I couldn't have brought my wallet. I was positive about that. I never left home without it, so it had to be there. And if my wallet wasn't there, I was bound to have some spare change stuck somewhere in the deep, dark crevices of my bag. And I absolutely despised borrowing money from people or having them owe me, so there was no way I was going to have Sasuke buy me my drink—if he offers, that is. I would definitely turn him down. Then, finally, thank the gods above, my fingers brushed against a soft material and I quickly pulled it out, relief washing over me. How much junk did I have I have in that thing anyway-

I paled instantly.

Two bright, pink spots formed on my cheeks as I threw my pad back into my bag, utter mortification spilling over me. What in the world made me think that that could have ever been my wallet? Okay, so, the material felt similar, but still, what was WRONG with me? And then, just when I thought it wasn't that bad pulling out my pad (of all things!) in the middle of a bustling café, I heard a slight cough coming from a certain _person _in front of me. He didn't see. He couldn't have seen. He was looking at the stupid menu, so he couldn't have!

Slowly, I tore my eyes from the sanitary napkin that laid in my bag to Sasuke. He was staring at me with a look of confusion. Good. Good, that was better than disgust or embarrassment or a hell lot of other emotions that could have crossed his face. "Is that what you were looking for?" he asked, an eyebrow raised precariously above his eye.

I shook my head in sweet relief. "No, I was looking for my wallet."

"Ah."

And then it hit me! I had 2500 yen with me in my pocket! While I was scrambling around after waking up late to catch the bus that stopped nearby the café, I had forgotten my wallet and instead stuffed the money in my pockets to deal with later. Sure enough, as soon as I reached into my pocket, a thin, papery material awaited me as I pulled out the bill. "Oh." My eyes blinked at money in my hand almost dazedly, "Found it." There was an anime sweat drop going down my head as I folded it and placed it into one of the inner pockets of my bags. How stupid of me.

"Hey." My head turned to Sasuke as he spoke, "What was that thing anyway?"

"Oh, nothing you need to know," I said, dismissing him. I am not going to have _that_ conversation with him.

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows together. "Tell me," he said—well, demanded, really. Either way he wasn't getting a peep out of me. I suffered enough internal humiliation already without him having to know that I pulled out a pad. And how does could he not know what a pad is? Did he live under a rock or something? All my (very insensitive) guy friends in my middle school constantly asked me if I was "on the rag" whenever I was in a particularly nasty mood. They even had the audacity to drag me into a convenience store and buy me a bundle one time as a joke. Although they made up for it by telling the poor cashier a long-winded story of how Satoshi, one of my moronic (and might I add, male) buddies, was actually a hermaphrodite and it was his first time having his period so, naturally, they had to celebrate his entrance into "womanhood" by being there with him as he purchased some feminine hygiene products. Oh, and please ignore the girl laughing hysterically in the corner—these pads are obviously not for her but for the poor victim of this ridiculously concocted tale.

...I miss those idiots. They were stupid, but they were _my _stupid idiots. There was a small pang in my heart as I blinked, returning from my visit to the memory lane and seeing that Sasuke was still waiting for an answer. I let out a long breath—it was better to make this as little of a deal as possible so he didn't think it was anything weird. "Napkins," I said simply. It was true. It was _sanitary _napkin, but a napkin nonetheless. It didn't make much of a difference to him, though, as he was never going to use it. He looked a tad bit dissatisfied with my answer, so changing the subject would be a great idea right about now and what better subject than our biographies? There was a rustle of papers as I took a notebook out of my bag. "Now, I still have a couple of questions for you—"

"Are you two ready to order now?" The voice was low-pitched, smooth as silk, and definitely female. It was a different waitress than before, and "KONAN" was printed neatly on the name tag pinned on her white, button up blouse. Her hair was cut short, dyed a bright blue with a ridiculously large, matching flower pinned at the side of her head. A single piercing studded her chin beneath her lower lip. Her amber eyes pierced through mine, her head cocked slightly at an angle.

I smiled, "Oh, yes an iced tea, please, with a slice of lemon." Yum. My favorite! I always checked the menu though, just in case they decided to lower the price of their other drinks. It has never happened yet, sadly. She turned to Sasuke, brows furrowed as she held the pen poised to the paper. She had a commanding air about her that was aloof at the same time. She looked like the type of girl who can intimidate and capture the attention of the entire room without meaning to. Of course, it didn't help that her hair was such a shocking shade of blue and that she towered over me with her two inch heels that added to her already tall height. (Asian people, if anyone hadn't had the time to notice, happen to be rather _petite._)

"An iced coffee—black," Sasuke said. Konan scribbled down our drinks on her notepad and took our menus before making a silent exit.

"All right, let's begin," I said, taking out a pen from my bag, "First question, what do you remember about middle school?" Sasuke talked for a few minutes and I listened, scribbling down whatever I found would be essential to put into my biography of him. At times, I asked him to repeat something he had just said slowly to use as a quote. Konan came back eventually and placed our drinks down on the table before leaving. We worked like this, taking turns on asking questions for the next three hours or so. I had gotten thirsty after talking so much and had ordered another iced tea to satiate my parched throat. Sasuke, who was already a man of few words, gave up on the black coffee on quenching his own growing dehydration and settled down simply on a few bottles of over-priced, mineral water. (And two croissants to satiate his hunger.) I marveled as I watched him down half a liter in one sitting. "You're willing to pay five dollars for _that?_" I asked, incredulous. The way he was able to be so carefree with his money made me both envious and irritated.

"It's not like I have much of a choice," he said dryly, "It's either this or sneaking into the kitchen and drinking from the sink."

Laughing at his words, I shortly excused myself to the bathroom, taking my bag with me. After doing my, um, business, I exited the stall and discarded the trash woefully bestowed to me by my monthly gift. Sadly, someone had dismantled the small garbage disposal that was supposed to be the intended target of all feminine hygiene leftovers. I placed my bag on the sink counter and washed my hands while staring at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't look so bad. My hair was rather flat, my eyes a bit droopy from the excessive A/C that threatened me to fall asleep on the soft, leather seats, there was a large stain on my shorts and the edge of my T-shirt from where I had accidentally spilled my iced tea, and I've definitely looked better, but...whatever. My lids felt heavy as it was and I really was too tired to care.

Another stall door opened and a voice called out to me hesitantly. "Um, miss?" I told myself it wasn't the gods up there playing a cruel trick on me or fate giving me a rude, unexpected twist into my day, but I could've sworn that whoever just spoke to me sounded a tad but too male to belong in a woman's restroom. (But then again, you have a lot of oddities in this world and maybe it was my misfortune to stumble onto this one.) My head turned to the direction of the person with the questionable gender after great reluctance. I practically heard the hinges in my neck creak with disapproval, the sixth sense in me telling my legs to just run out of the bathroom and nothing would go wrong. I was unfortunate not to listen to it.

The voice had to belong to a boy, being a deliciously husky tone that sent a tingling sensation down my spine. However, as I turned to face my unwelcome intruder, all previous assumptions were instantly and thankfully eliminated—it was a woman. The woman—it _had _to be a woman, I was sure of it—was blonde, with one strip of hair covering the half of her face and the rest tied up to a sleek, high ponytail. A lone, gray iris looked up into mine, heavy black eye-liner surrounding drawn around the perimeter of the eye. The nose was cutely upturned, with pink lips below it tugging downwards, about to form a frown. She was so beautiful and so strangely familiar; I continued staring, trying to place her as the woman scowled at me for my inattentiveness.

"Hey, you," she said. It was still so eerie how a woman could speak in such a low baritone. She took another step closer to me and peered curiously in my face. I stared back into hers, wondering why I kept getting the feeling that I knew her from somewhere. Two blonde eyebrows furrowed together as she narrowed her blue eyes at me. "What the hell are you doing in the men's bathroom?"

I gasped. Not because of her words—no. _They _had been pushed into the back of my head to register later when the astonishment from my revelation wore off.

She lookedjust like Ino.

They were practically identical with the blonde ponytail, the singular bang covering one eye, the haughty stare, the perfectly sculpted facial features...

Ah, wait my bad. _He_ looked just like Ino.

He.

HE.

Because that's a man. Him. The blonde standing right in front of me. Male. And I'm in the bathroom. For men. (Unless, by some rare chance, that's he's in the wrong and this is actually the women's bathroom. But that never happens, unfortunately, which means that I'm standing right in the middle of the men's restroom. Oh God.) My eyes swerved to the right, catching sight of a row of urinals that were inconspicuous a couple of minutes ago. I looked back at the woman—I mean man—in front of me, suddenly looking all too male in a loose fitting T-shirt and jeans.

I ran out of the bathroom.

"Hey!" he called out behind me, "Wait! You forgot your—"

The door swung shut before he could finish, but I couldn't care less on what he was going to say. I ran back to Sasuke, my cheeks flushed red from dire embarrassment, my breathing a bit hitched as I sank into the seat across from him. He stared at me with a strange look on his face and kept on staring, almost like he was waiting for an explanation—which I had no mind to give. "Let's get out of here," I said, eyeing the direction from where I came, wondering if the blondie had followed me, "I think we did a lot today and I'm pretty tired."

A yellow head suddenly flew into my field of vision.

Shit, he did.

"Ask for the check," I hissed under my breath before ducking my head. And then I realized that, through some strange genetic mishap, I had freaking pink hair. Pink. Which just screamed, "COME FIND ME!" Sasuke, who was still sitting in a dumbfounded silence, still staring at me like I had just grown five heads, had not yet asked for the bill. I nudged him with my foot under the table to get his attention before swiping the basketball cap on his head and proceeded to stuff every strand of my cursed pastel colored hair underneath it. I gave him a short glare and jabbed my thumb at the blue-haired waitress that was only a table or two away from ours.

"Ah," he blinked once, as if trying to shake himself out of a daze, then raised his hand over at Konan, who stared back, "Check, please." She nodded and bustled off to the counter. He swerved his gaze back at me, eyebrows furrowed tightly and asked, somewhat hesitantly, "Are you all right?" Konan returned with the check, placed it on the table, and gave a short bow. A customer three tables down called for her and she ran off. I didn't even bother to answer as I lowered my head even more, leaning deeply into my seat. Lips sealed together, I let out a faint, "Mmhm," as I turned to grab the money from my bag.

...which wasn't there.

And I mean both of them, by the way. The money and the bag, I mean.

A shadow loomed over my back as a deep voice broke into my panicked thoughts, "You forgot this." There was the sound of fabric being scrunched up together and a thud, a light thud that landed straight into my lap. My head turned to look at who was behind me and lo and behold—it was the blondie. "I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn't let me finish," he said. A smirk tugged across his lips as he leaned a bit closer to my face. "Next time," his voice was barely above a whisper, "You should watch where you're going." He stepped back and straightened himself before reaching his hand out to me. I grasped it, his long and nimble fingers swallowing mine as we got tangled together in a handshake. His grip was firm, but warm. Very warm. It was over in seconds and his hand fell to his side; mine to my lap. "I'm Deidara. Nice to meet you."

Was it all right to tell a complete stranger your name? It was the first nagging thought that popped into my brain. Well, not entirely a stranger, I suppose, since he was a person who looked remarkably similar to one of my best friends. Eh, what the heck. "Sakura." His blue eyes traveled to my hair then back to my eyes as a wide grin spread across his face.

"I see." His smile was captivating. He was beautiful. Deidara wiggled his fingertips at me with an impish look on his face, "Well, later." And then he left, sauntering through the exit, his yellow ponytail swinging behind him.

Someone coughed. I turned and saw Sasuke with his eyes glued to the top of my head. "Can I have my hat back?"

* * *

Ten minutes later we were out of the café, check paid for, the hot air hitting our bodies like a wave as sweat rolled down the sides of our faces. The sun was hinting that it was about to set, a faint red beginning to bleed into the sky. I leaned against the brick wall of the coffeehouse, ducking into the shadows. Sasuke was on the phone, talking to-...someone. "What do you mean he's out? He dropped me off in the morning." There was silence. "All right...all right." His voice took on a tint of irritation, "Yes, I'll be _fine._ I'll see you later, Mom." He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket, a long breath of air escaping his lips and dancing around his mussed up tresses.

Sasuke had given up on the cap after stepping outside the café. It had been shoved into the other pocket of his gym shorts, the edge still sticking out. He had a terrible case of hat hair—he still did. It looked hideous. It was like a bowl cut gone wild. The top was just lifelessly flat while the ends stuck out in every possible direction. He looked like the love child of Shino and Lee. (Hair-wise, that is. There was no way Shino's and Lee's love child could ever look that good.) I had to turn away from him for a while to compose myself because, well, it was too good to let him know and me laughing like an idiot wasn't going to help keep it a secret. Of course, being the brilliant, sneaky photographer that I was, I was able to capture a couple of shots on my phone's camera. I am _so_ enlarging those.

And to make life even more amusing for me, exactly ten passersbys laughed when they saw Sasuke, and he failed to notice them all. He can be surprisingly dense at times—I'm assuming all those years spent with Naruto have finally kicked in. The dark-haired boy let out a short grunt and leaned back, resting against the brick wall like I was. "What happened?" I asked as I turned towards him.

"Our family's chauffeur had to go to the hospital. His wife is in labor," Sasuke muttered.

Well. That's nice news. "I see." And that was the end of _that _little discussion. We might have stood in silence for the next minute or so until a thought popped into my brain. "Do you," he looked up at me and I paused. "Do you not know your way back home?" There. I spit it out. His lower lip began to jut out after hearing my words. Pouting. That meant a yes, I suppose. I sighed. "All right. Do you have internet on your phone?" Sasuke gave a short nod. "All right," I stuck my hand out and motioned to him, "Give it here." He was compliant. The sleek silver gadget felt a bit heavy in my hands as I searched through the device to find the browser. There was a warm body next to me, their arm touching mine, and spiky hair suddenly clouded my vision.

"Here," Sasuke said, pressing a button on the phone.

I handed the phone back to him. "Since you're much better at this than I am." He took it and raised one of his eyebrows at me, waiting. "All right, so just get the directions from this café to your house. Simple." He made one of his little noises, fingers typing dexterously. I glanced over at the screen with him. "Can you get a map?" I asked.

The map was yellow and the line from DOKIDOKI KISSATEN to the Uchiha household seemed long. And tedious. And maybe a bit perilous. "From the way I see it," I said, pointing a finger at the screen, "If we take this bus which is about a block from the café, get off five stops from there, walk two blocks, transfer to another bus and ride it for about four more stops, walk...seven-ish blocks, we should be at your house."

"Ah."

"Mmhm."

"...We?"

"Unless you want to go through all this by yourself, that is. Go ahead."

There was a long, deep silence before Sasuke's voice interrupted it (though I already knew what he was going to ask. Or the likes of it, anyways), "Do you know your way around this neighborhood?"

I lifted my shoulders lightly and dropped them. "Pretty well...I know how to get around town."

EH.

Details, details. I'm not street, but I'm not Mr. Cooped-Up-in-a-Mansion either. "All right then," Sasuke said as he pocketed his phone, "Let's get going. The bus stop should be just around that corner." He gestured to the several yards of concrete in front of us which eventually stopped and disappeared as it rounded a short, brick building. The bus was white and colored with red, blue, and green stripes. We waited only a couple of minutes before it stopped and opened for us, during the time I found out that this was Sasuke's first time riding a bus. (HA, and he was going to try and get home by himself.) An elderly man and a young woman stepped out. I tugged Sasuke's sleeve gently, gesturing for him to walk in front of me. He did and got on the bus, pausing as I entered behind him.

There was a machine to the left and right of him and it held out a small, white piece of paper. "Take the ticket," I said, "And don't lose it." He tugged it free from the machine carefully, putting it in his pocket. I got mine and tossed it into my bag. Another machine awaited us. It was to exchange dollars to coins for the bus fare. "You can sit," I said, pointing to an empty seat near the door, "Oh, and by the way, do you have change?" He shook his head. "Of course." I sighed, plopping down onto the seat next to him. Rummaging through my bag, I found my coin purse (kept specifically and only for my bus rides.) Shaking it, I found it to be considerably heavy and noisy. "I think I have enough for the both of us."

An even larger sigh left my lips as I stared at the scenery pass by us, hoping we get to our destination quickly and safely. At the next stop, a middle-aged woman and her two kids got onto the bus. There were enough seats for them to sit in, so neither of us had to give up ours for them. The woman was holding three shopping bags in her hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She walked slowly forward, her eyes roaming around to find a place to sit. Her kids jumped noisily around her legs. The bus swerved a sudden right and she stumbled forward, her drink spilling all over Sasuke's shirt. The cup fell to the ground and the rest of the brown liquid dribbled all over the floor by his shoes. "Oh my goodness," she cried, gripping the metal pole used for standing passengers, "I am so, so sorry. Are you all right?"

Sasuke moved his feet away from the mess. "I'm fine," he said curtly. His gaze returned to the large stain tainting his white shirt. The corner of his eye twitched, but it went unnoticed by the woman.

"I am very, very sorry." The lady's cheeks were pink and her children had grown silent at the sight of their mother's mishap, "I didn't mean to..."

"It was an accident. It's all right." He let out a long breath and gestured to a couple of empty seats near the middle of the bus. "Please sit." The lady bowed her head in embarrassment as she took a seat as her children began to ramble about rambunctiously once more. I couldn't take my eyes off of the brown spot. It felt strange, knowing these sort of accidents happened to Sasuke. But I was surprised at how well he took it. From what I've watched on television, spoiled rich kids were suppose to freak out in these types of situations and demand a huge apology from the person who had "wronged" them. _But_ then again, television is usually superficial and biased. Did it make more sense that Sasuke didn't throw a tantrum, then?

Maybe. From what he's told me, he was forced to go to many social functions from a young age and had to act accordingly. Seeing how his family name was so prestigious, even as a child he was expected to act like an adult and be courteous to others. There were many snobs in the crowd his family mingled with and his parents had tried to raise him so that he would not act like the other pretentious members of society. I had thought Sasuke to be rude and haughty upon first meeting him (and still sort of do), but perhaps that wasn't it at all. His rudeness draws from the hostile way he acts towards his fan girls and his haughtiness—well, all right, so he is arrogant, but it's not unbearable. He can be really nice at times, like when he bought me a drink after our photo shoot.

All these thoughts were running through my head when Sasuke called my name. I picked my head up and stared at him inquisitively. His hand was held out, palm up. "Yes?" I asked.

"Your napkins," he said, furrowing his brows in annoyance, "Can I get them?"

What is he talking about? What napkins? Confused, I replied, "...I don't have any."

He let out a sharp sigh. "Yes, you do," Sasuke argued, talking in a slower tone as if I were a child, "You even showed it to me in the café."

...Oh. _Those_ napkins. A bright red made its way to my cheeks. "I already used them." It was true. I mean, I had extras, duh, in case of whatever, but I used the one he was talking about so I'm not lying or anything. _Technically._ (The key word is always technically.)

"Bull shit," he said flatly, "Come on, hand it over."

NO! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! My mind screamed. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as my heart picked up a pace. "I did!" I cried, "I used it!"

To make things worse, I could tell he was getting pissed. "Sakura," he snapped, "You pulled out a huge wad of napkins and you didn't use the damn thing once. I was with you the whole time today. Don't try to get out of this. Just give me a napkin." He paused, and added as an afterthought, "Please."

Oh God, he said please. He _never_ says please. Why did this have to come back and bite _me_ on the ass? It wasn't like I was doing Sasuke any harm by lying about this! My mind scrambled to think of excuse. "I used it," I said in a slower tone, searching my mind for the words, "in the bathroom."

"_Why_ would you bring napkins to the bathroom?"

"Because," (panic panic panic panic, oh come on, THINK BRAIN, THINK!) I felt like I was in pain as I whispered the next part, "They're not actually napkins."

Sasuke looked dubious. He took back his hand and raised an eyebrow at me. "Then what are they?"

I let out a groan and turned my head away, my fingers picking at the edge of my shorts. "It's just—some girly stuff that girls use. You know?"

"...No?"

Why, oh why was I talking about this? "Feminine hygiene products?" I suggested, my voice a pitch higher than usual.

If possible, he looked even more confused than before. "What?'

"Haven't you ever seem your, umm, your mom use them?"

He paused for a second, as if actually thinking about it. (SERIOUSLY SASUKE?) "Should I have?"

And, at that point, I decided to give up. I really had not expected his ignorance on this subject. Maybe from someone like Naruto, _yes_, but not Sasuke! He was one of the best students in class! He should know, had to know...how in the world did he NOT know? I seem to be letting out a great deal of long sighs because I let out another one. "That thing I called napkins," I said, my voice surprisingly even, "is actually a pad." He continued staring at me with a dumfounded look on his face, though now bordering on curiosity.

All right, I suppose I can sort of understand how he came to live for sixteen years without knowing what a pad is. He went to a private school for rich kids his whole life and tries to avoid the entire female population. His closest friend is a very sweet, but often very dim-witted and oblivious, hyperactive boy who probably doesn't know what a pad is either. But, if he's not going to ask about what it's used for, then I'm not going to bring the subject up. And hopefully, Sasuke will have enough discretion and pride to not venture into this discussion. Please, please... I crossed my fingers where he couldn't see them.

His voice was piqued with interest, "Elaborate."

I suppose I should start digging my grave right about now or something. How embarrassing is it to talk about this with a guy like Sasuke? Any guy could be better than him. ANY GUY! Naruto would probably just end the conversation if he knew I was getting uncomfortable, since he wasn't such an inquisitive,_ insensitive_ young lad like Mr. Uchiha up there. Lee would...well, Lee could easily accept an answer like, "It's a gateway for girls to enter into their blossoming stage of youth and womanhood." (And yes, I did think of that on the spot. I'm quite proud of it, actually.) Shino wouldn't ask—he rarely talks. Ditto Gaara. Ditto Neji, sort of...ish. Chouji would respect my wishes...With Kiba I could just quickly change the subject into something he likes. Shikamaru has no excuse on not knowing what a pad is since he's the genius of the decade, and if, god forbid, he doesn't know, then he'd be too lazy to ask. Sai, I would actually sort of look forward to his answer since he's so blunt and has such an interesting way of thinking. Suigetsu...

Oh wait, I take that back. _Suigetsu _would probably be the worst person to have this conversation with. He can be such a pervert at times. Ugh, imagine all the insinuations and jokes he would make about it. I was walking to class with Karin and Suigetsu one day and I really understood why she beat him up to a pulp like that. He could be so infuriating at times. But it still amused me to no end seeing them bicker on and on—they were like an old married couple or something.

"Sakura." It was Sasuke. "We have to get off now." I smiled and immediately jumped up from my seat, practically running to pay for our fare. I couldn't have asked for more perfect timing. After exiting the bus, I marched forward, determined to keep a very long distance from Sasuke. "Sakura?" His voice sounded amused as he spoke from behind me, "We have to go the other way." Turning around I walked abruptly past him, nearly bumping into his shoulder. "Sakura," he nearly sang, matching my stride without breaking a sweat, "Walking away from me isn't going to avoid the subject." He cut in front of me, his arms crossed as a small smirk graced his face. "What's a pad and why is it so distressing for you to talk about it?"

.

I will admit now that I was never good at improvisation or lying on the spot. However, I am currently not afraid to try because I really, REALLY don't want to say that a pad is, insert perky, scientific voice, "a disposable absorbent tool used by women to soak up the blood exiting a woman's (BEEP.)" So, really, here goes absolutely nothing. "It's-umm," I tried to look in his eyes, but making up stuff is hard when the person in front of you is so obviously amused and curious about the one subject you're trying to avoid, so I peered over his shoulder, staring at a mailbox a couple of yards away. And then it HIT ME. "It's for your boobs," I blurted. No, wait I take that back. That was terrible. Where am I supposed to go with that? I mean, it's better than saying...you know what, but still. What could a pad do for your boobs?

ARGHHHHHHHH...

Sasuke cocked his head to the side and scrunched up his eyebrows, "Really? How so?" I swear he is enjoying this.

And I'm thinking...

...thinking...

...THINKING...

and...BRAIN BLAST! My eyes immediately brightened as I explained to Sasuke the function of this so-called _pad_. "There's a special type of bra," I began, "that has this sort of pocket in the cup where you insert a pad into." Sasuke nodded, a corner of his lip twitching. "It's better than a regular padded bra because-" My vision trailed back to the inspirational mailbox, "—because you can control how...how _padded_ you want your bra to be!" Oh YEAH, I am on a roll! "So, if you want a lot of padding," I continued, "You use a maxi pad. And there's also regular and thin pads as well. They're sold in several department stores and in specialty lingerie boutiques. Most are made by the companies Always and Kotex." Wow. I am really proud of myself. That actually sounded pretty convincing.

Now to see if he bought my wonderfully concocted story. Sasuke nodded his head at me, "Ah." I watched as his eyes slowly lowered to my chest, lingering there for a moment, thoughtful, before catching my gaze. "It doesn't make much of a difference," he remarked lightly.

(I am going to punch him.

I am going to punch him.

I am GOING to PUNCH HIM!)

...I didn't punch him. Obviously. There was a rather forced smile on my face as a vein popped out angrily on my forehead.

I chose to ignore it.

He let out a breath of air, as if contemplating something. "Thank you for your explanation," he said, though rather mockingly, "I'm..._enlightened_." Sasuke turned around and began to walk forward a couple of steps. A sigh left me; my shoulders sagged, as I followed behind him. I was too relieved to notice the strange tone Sasuke chose to thank me in. "Oh." He stopped abruptly, and I stopped as well, only a couple of inches from bumping into his back. He looked at me from over his shoulder, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. "You seem to have forgotten," Sasuke began, raising an eyebrow archly at me, "But all schools are required to have health class from the age of ten or eleven, and most schools explain the process of menstruation before high school. Now, this may come as a shock to you, but from what I've learned," his voice hushed down a tone, his expression feigning both concern and innocence, "that isn't how you use a pad." He turned forward again and resumed walking.

My jaw hit the floor.

...What?

WHAT?

WHAT?

Do I _need_ to say it again?

(I think I will: WHAT?)

I ran after him, stopping right in front of him to cease his walking. My cheeks turned crimson red as nonsensical spluttering left my lips. "So you—all this time you—and you-!" I jabbed my index finger into his face, almost smashing into his nose. "You _lied_ to me?" My voice rose precariously close to something like a shriek. "You _lied_ about not knowing what a pad was? You-_you made me finish that stupid lie about pads being used for your boobs?" _He suddenly looked quite pleased with himself with the stupid infuriatingly smug look on his face. I didn't need words to know what he was thinking. Scowling, I turned around and stormed away from him, ignoring the fact that he was now laughing.

I don't care. All I know is that Sasuke is slowly turning into Suigetsu and that Suigetsu might have been a better person to tell what a pad is to than Sasuke.

And that the bus we have to get on is only two blocks from here.

But that's it.

I got almost a block away before I heard footsteps pounding on the cement behind me. I sent him a dirty look and walked faster.

Jerk.

He was grinning.

(BASTARD!)

"Oh come on!" he said, still thoroughly amused, "It was pretty funny." In the same hushed tone, he added, mischievously, "I bet Naruto would have bought it." I pressed my lips together tightly and continued, resolved to not talk to him for the rest of the school year. Or at least, until he apologized. Whichever one came sooner. We walked in silence until we reached the bus stop where we waited for five minutes, yet again, in silence. I sat down in a seat and he followed, slowly, sliding into the seat right next to me, his eyes never leaving my frame. Immediately I moved one seat over and turned my body away from him, glancing outside through the window opposite from me. The sun was about to set, I realized. A rather undignified snort reached my ears and shortly after the noise the warmth of another touched my side. "You're not still mad, are you?" he asked in a tone of disbelief. I didn't reply, but coolly regarded him for a second before looking away again. "Really?" Sasuke stared at me, as if trying to mentally break me down into talking again. Finally, he sighed, "All right. I'll say it." There was a bit of grumbling before he said, albeit grudgingly, "I'm sorry. There."

Smiling, I turned back to him. "Now, was that so hard?" I asked cheerily.

He grunted. "Areyou sure you're not bi-polar or something?"

I scowled and brushed off his comment. "Anyways, since when were _you_ a good actor?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow at him.

One of his shoulders lifted up, then down in a shrug. "I'm not," he replied, "And I honestly thought that it was a package of napkins the first time you took it out. I only knew when you said what it was. And then," he gave me a little smirk, "I wanted to see where you would go with it. It was pretty good, actually. A special type of –," Sasuke air-quoted the next words, "-padded-bra."

A groan escaped my lips. "Please, please," I begged, clasping my hands and shaking them for emphasis, "NEVER mention that to anyone."

His eyes glinted with mischief. "I'll think about it."

"Sasuke!"

Four stops and a hell lot of walking later, we finally reached the Uchiha household. Situated in a rather country-like region of Japan, as our school was located in such a place, it was larger than most homes in the metropolitan area. The fencing surrounding the lands was made out of stone, with shingles matching the ones on the roof placed on top, slanting downwards. Unfortunately, it provided no view of the grounds or the house, but it did give a great sense of privacy and security. The gate at the front consisted of two, huge double doors made out of a dark wood. Everything about the outside perimeter seemed to be pulled out from a Japanese history book except for the doorbell and intercom machine located by the doors. Sasuke walked up the three stairs leading to them and pressed a button. "Hello, it's me. Can you let me in? Oh, and I brought a...a classmate." He pushed the door open with ease and looked back at me. I stood about a yard away, still on the sidewalk, still admiring the outside of his house. "Well?" His voice pulled me back to reality. "Are you coming in?"

Come in? "What?" I asked, and shook my head. Gesturing with my hand, I motioned behind me, "I have to go home, remember? I don't live around here."

He nudged a pebble on the ground with his shoe and it fell down the steps. "Yeah, but, it's going to get dark." His eyes ventured up to the sky and mine followed. The sun was beginning to set, a beautiful orange and red tainting the sky. Was it that late already? "It's not safe for you to go home by yourself." Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and went on, "My brother can drive you when he comes back home. He'll be here in around twenty minutes or so. You can wait inside in the meantime." His gaze drifted over to me and sensing my confusion (he never said much about his older brother), explained, "He came back for a short visit. He's leaving in a couple of days."

I nodded, "Ah. I see."

There was a pause and silence filtered between us before Sasuke spoke up once more, his voice impatient, "Well? Are you gonna come in or what?"

I weighed the two choices before me: one, attempt to go back home by myself from a neighborhood I've never been to (except today, obviously) and try to make out the directions while it's getting dark with all sorts of creeps and goons hanging around god knows where, or, two, humbly accept Sasuke's invitation into his not so humble abode in my disheveled appearance, with the iced tea stain _still _in my shirt and shorts, possibly meet one of Japan's most successful business men, and have his older brother, said successful business men's ex-heir, drive me home. Well, with the first one, at least I won't die from humiliation. But I'm not stupid, I know which choice I'm going to make, no matter how unkempt I look. I sighed and pushed my bangs away from my forehead. "Let me call my dad first to let him know where I am," I said finally, and Sasuke nodded. He waited by the door, leaning against its heavy frame as I dialed my father's number. Turning around to get a little privacy, I put the phone to my ear as it rang. "...Hi, Dad?...Yeah I'm fine. I'm just calling to tell you that I might get home a little late. I had to show Sasuke the way back to his house because he didn't know how..."

Sasuke snorted. "Please, you came on your own invitation."

I looked at him over my shoulder sharply. As if. He would have probably been in another district by now if it weren't for me. He doesn't even know how to take the public bus! Mouthing the word, "Lies," Sasuke merely rolled his eyes in return. My father said something on the phone and I turned back around, "Mmhm. His older brother is driving me home. I just didn't want you to be worried in case you get home early and I'm not there...Oh, you're working late today? All right...Dinner? I—" I glanced over at Sasuke, but he didn't seem to have heard, "—well, Sasuke said his brother's coming home soon so I guess not? I don't know. I'll call if there's a change of plans...All right. Bye...I love you, too." I let out a long breath.

When I turned, I saw that Sasuke was still in the same position, only this time he had an eyebrow raised. "Well?" He opened the door a bit wider and waited for me to come up. I walked forward and passed through the wooden entrance, waiting for a moment as Sasuke locked up behind us. As disrespectful as my appearance and sudden intrusion was, I couldn't help feel a tingle of anticipation on getting to see what Sasuke's private life was like.

Who knew what to expect?

* * *

And the world will know, next time on "President of my Fan Club!"

All right, so, I said it up there in the beginning and I'll say it again: I'm so, SO sorry guys. I'd say it was a lack of motivation and inspiration that led me to update this late. I mean, it was summer vacation! I had so much time to spare. I really thought I was gonna update five times or something. Sadly, I didn't. :(

But I will admit I had a really hard time trying to find what this chapter (and the chapters to come) will be about. I have a lot of ideas for the chapters to come in the far end of the story, but not much for right now. Which is, obviously, a very big problem. I'm working on it though, and my brain will crank out something hopefully amazing for you all. I was actually going to include Sasuke's little house tour in this chapter, but I didn't because it was 8,000 words already and I'm rather wordy.

So to those of you who were kind enough to read this chapter and not hate the lazy, disgraceful authoress who wrote it, I hope you'll read the next chapter as well!

It will be, possibly, in Sasuke's POV if I can find his voice again.

I'll get working on it as soon as I post this chapter online...

Wonderful readers and reviewers from last time: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! I love you all so much!

And if you love the story enough, I hope you'll take the time to review! You can bash me there for not updating.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE,

moodyaura.

p.s. school starts for me tomorrow! D:

iggggggggggg.

p.p.s. i think i might give up on the whole song title for a chapter thing. maybe. at least for this one i am. i'll find another theme...


	21. nice house

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. :p

**Title:** President Of My Fan Club

**Summary:** I think I have a problem. Firstly, it turns out that the president of my fan club doesn't like me at all. Not one bit. The second is that she's a money hungry girl who's making profit off of me. And the third? I think I'm falling for her. SasuSaku.

**Languages I've used:** English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, German, French, Traditional Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Urdu, Thai, Turkish, **Malay**

-MULA!-

The house was nothing short of beautiful. Every little bit of it was left for scrutiny and with each passing glance I grew to admire it more and more. A winding dirt path lined with oblong stones led to the main door and flora blossomed all around the inside of the walled fence. The grass was lush and green, the shade of green that is seen only in the movies, so bright and vibrant. Several trees sprouted about the area, but my eyes caught glance of a lone cherry-blossom tree that kept to itself directly by the house, almost growing right up against it. It was the only tree near the building. The trunk was thick and the branches scrambled up to the sky like an army of outstretched arms.

It took my breath away.

I hadn't noticed it at first, but Sasuke's house was not located in the well-to-do portion of the district where Ino, Emi, Karin, and most of the other students lived. (In almost all cases, the students attending Konoha High move into the area after being accepted as most of them used to live in cities. Thus, the students were situated closely together. In a way, they are forced to grow up together for the next four years.) He lived in a district that preserved some history, retaining the ancient qualities of Japan that made it charming and fascinating. Hinata lived in a similarly styled district, but not in the same one as Sasuke's. It was strange, though, because I had not been expecting his family to live in a place like this.

The house was majestic. It seemed to radiate a sort of regal air that captivated the on-looker. The outer walls were made out of a dark, rich ebony wood with two large windows on either side of the main pair of shoji sliding doors. A patio made out of the same blackish wood surrounded the perimeter of the house. There was a second floor, and a balcony also framed the outside, but went only halfway around. The roof was made out of dark gray shingles, sloping downwards and matching the shingles that lined the top of the fence. The architectural style was heavily influenced by the Edo period—and thus, unless it was, for some reason, brand new, the house should be very, very old. Several hundred years, perhaps?

The number boggled my mind. My house couldn't have been more than three years old. It was like a newly born child compared to_ this_! I couldn't stop myself from staring as I followed Sasuke, not paying much attention to him, but on the intricate engravings by the windows. A question slowly bubbled to the front of my brain as I tore my eyes from the house to Sasuke. We were almost at the front door, maybe a yard or so away. "Hey," I called. He paused in his walking and turned his head, staring at me from over his shoulder. "Not to sound rude," I went on, as I stepped closer to him, "but why do you live here?"

He blinked and turned his body around completely to face me. "Ah, that's right," Sasuke said, almost thoughtfully, gazing upwards for a moment, "I never explained my housing situation to you." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to muss up the flat top. (And failing miserably.) "This house," he began, gesturing to the building behind him with his hand, "was originally my grandparent's home—on my mother's side, that is. It had been in the family's possession for a long time, maybe since the Edo period in...the eighteenth century? Some where around there." Sasuke gave a light shrug and continued, "We—my mother, my father, my brother, and I—originally lived in Kyoto in a more Western-styled home. However, since this house was close to my school, my grandparents offered to trade houses until I graduated." A wry smile made its way to Sasuke's face. "When I first came here," he said, "I had to use a squat toilet for about a month until repairs got done. My grandparent's at first refused to allow any renovations being made to the house since the property was still theirs and they wanted to retain its historic qualities. But after spending a day without toilet, the flushable one, I mean, they agreed."

I laughed. "A squat toilet?" I asked, incredulously. For those who may not know, a squat toilet consists of a semi-deep hole dug into the ground. The user squats over said hole and all waste matter is dumped in there. Every two months or so, a cleaning truck comes by to suck up all the excrement left in the hole. The squat toilet is usually located far away from the house, much like an outhouse, because of its rancid odor. Many people in Japan use the flush toilet, but a more modern version of the squat toilet, where water cleans the hole and leads the excrement to a sewer pipe, is still widely used. In more rural areas, such as where Sasuke lives, the squat toilets are not as up-to-date.

Sasuke nodded grimly. "Worst experience of my life. We got rid of it, though, entirely. I don't think anyone of my family members wanted to remember it." He let out a short sigh and said, "Anyways, let's go in. My mother must be wondering why we're taking so long." He turned around and began walking towards the door. Once more, I followed, though my thoughts were wrapped around on a single word.

Mother.

The word flowed smoothly from his lips, so casually—a word he used everyday. I wonder what his mother looked like. She was most likely beautiful, considering what Sasuke looked like. She probably has black hair, wispy, like a raven's wing. Maybe it's long and curls a bit at the edges, like she woke up extra early to look nice, but that was just the way her hair looked naturally.

And her eyes...?

I closed mine for a second, blinking longer than I should have, trying to conjure up an image in my head. Something flickered across my mind, quick, a flash of color.

Green.

The brightest shade of green I've ever seen in my life, brighter than the grass growing on the lawn. I took a step back, dizzy from the color swirling around in my mind and caught a glimpse of a nose—curved, sloping, cute...

...but most of all, familiar.

Like something I've seen often before in the mirror. I took another step back and saw the pinkish hue of a lip tilted upwards in a smile. It was a pretty smile, opening to show a set of white teeth, dimples gently forming at the edges of the mouth.

Back again.

Two rosy cheeks swam along into my view with two sloping eyebrows, dark as the raven wing's hair, and a high forehead.

I step back for the last time and realized, with a start, that the hair wasn't black at all. It was a strange shade of brown, almost reddish, but not quite. It shimmered in the light.

The smile widened and turned into a laugh, a musical sound that seemed to almost twinkle. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her face, a far off memory. But if I closed my eyes, I felt something warm envelop me, its arms reaching around my waist; my cocoon. With a sudden start, I realized the identity of the stranger entrancing my mind.

The woman was my mother.

My mind turned blank.

Mother.

"Hey." The voice was masculine, and all of a sudden blue flew into my vision. It was the sky. I had been looking up this whole time. A long breath left me as I lowered my head, staring back at Sasuke, who stared back at me with his eyebrows scrunched in the middle. "Are you all right?" I nodded my head and took several steps back forward to close the distance between us. He was holding the shoji sliding door open, which, oddly, didn't slide left to right but actually opened into the house. An illusion, a trick door? "You first," he said, gesturing me in with his hand. I went inside. The door closed with a _click_.

Mother.

"Sasu-chan? Are you inside?" The speaker stepped out from around the corner, her face soft, lips spread to a smile. It was a different smile than the one in my head. A bit more patronizing, perhaps. Her eyes were warm and the color of hot coffee. Her smile widened when she caught sight of me. "Why, hello! It's so nice to meet you," she said, her slippered feet carrying her over to where I stood, "You must be the classmate Sasu-chan was talking about. What's your name?"

"Haruno Sakura." My lips felt dry. But they curled in amusement anyway at the nickname bestowed onto our beloved school Prince.

"Well, Sakura-chan, do you mind if I call you that?" I shook my head. She went on, her voice light and cheery, "Welcome to our house! We have slippers right here for you to use-" she pointed to the pink pair that were right in front of me, "-and please make yourself comfortable."

I bowed my head, "Thank you very much." The slippers were soft and comfortable, and the wooden floor they sat upon was a tannish color, well-cleaned and polished.

Sasuke's mother clasped her hands together. "Such a polite girl," she complimented, smiling at me. Cheeks pink, I merely shook my head. "Well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. Sasuke, why don't you show her to the living room and turn the TV on?" He nodded and nudged me lightly to walk forward. "Oh, and Sakura-chan's waiting for Itachi, right?" At our nods, she smiled once more, flashing white teeth and spoke on, "Well, she should stay for dinner then! It's getting late and I wouldn't want to have you return to your house hungry."

"I wouldn't want to impose," I said, waving my hands at her, "I'm not hungry at all, really."

"You will be once I start making dinner," she said teasingly, "You're staying and that is that. You're hardly imposing." She tilted her head at Sasuke, pouting slightly, "When was the last time since our Sasu-chan brought a girl over for dinner? Itachi will be _thrilled_!"

Sasuke groaned. "Mom, please." She sighed dramatically and walked off to the kitchen, but not before winking at her son. We were met with the sudden quietness of the house. He gestured to his left. "Let's go." He walked forward.

I trailed after him. "Your house is beautiful."

"Thanks." He looked back at smirked at me. The living room was of a good size, traditionally decorated, but beautiful. The walls were a rich crimson, and a wide-screen television was on in the corner, surrounded by several cream colored sofas. "Make yourself at home," Sasuke said, handing the remote over to me. "I'm going to go up for a bit to, uh—" His eyes trailed up to his tangled and mussed locks "—fix that. But I'll be right down."

I nodded. "All right. Thank you." He turned out of the room as I lowered myself on the light-colored seat. It was plush and oh-so comfortable, molding itself to fit my body. With a sigh of contentment, I flipped through some channels, looking for something interesting to watch. The television consumed time. It seemed like only moments later Sasuke did return to the living room in casual attire with a towel draped over his head.

"What are you watching?" he asked. I shrugged as the TV showed a man running away from a crowd of people. He took a seat next to me, eyes fixed on the screen. "I think I saw this before." We watched in silence until his mother stepped into the living room, telling us that dinner was ready. "Let's go." Sasuke pointed towards the doorway. I followed after him as he led the way to the dining room. It was just as elegant as the living room, if not more classy. A simple chandelier lit up the room, hanging above a medium –sized oak table. Five dining sets were already placed in front of the chairs, two already occupied. One was held by an older man with salt and pepper hair, black eyes hard, and his mouth a straight, fixed line. He was tall and slightly stocky—presumably this man was Sasuke's father. The person next to him, Itachi, I'm guessing, was much more youthful with a slimmer build. His hair was tied back to a short ponytail, some of the tresses spilling out to frame his face. As we entered, the two looked up.

Before anyone could speak, Sasuke's mother entered with a steaming pot in her hands. "Oh, I haven't introduced you two to Sakura-chan yet!" she proclaimed, setting the dish down onto the table, "This is Fugaku, my husband, and Itachi, my eldest son."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, bowing to them. Fugaku merely grunted, but Itachi gave me a friendly smile.

Sasuke's mother urged me, "Take a seat, take a seat!" She drew out a chair for me. Thanking her, I complied with her wishes. About a minute later all the meals had been brought out and everyone was seated. Sasuke's mother sat next to me, and we isolated ourselves a bit from the men. She had a mischievous smile on.

Dinner, I felt, was going to be an interesting ordeal.

* * *

I know, guys, super late update. Super late super crappy update.

I'm sorry :(

In order to update quicker, I'm going to shorten the length of the chapters. I think that will help me.

Hopefully...

Thank you to everyone that reviewed and read this story! :)

You guys really rock! Thanks for sticking with me.

-moodyaura


	22. author's note :

This is an author's note, not an update. I apologize if I've sprung up any hope on the chance of this being a new chapter.

And I also apologize for my_ terrible_ updating habits.

Unfortunately, I've been very bogged down with school work, studying, and exams to find the time to write a new chapter for this story.

That does not mean, however, that I've given up on it.

I think late June I'll find time to start writing for this story again, so keep your eyes peeled open then.

Until then, I really am sorry for neglecting this. I really do like this story, and I love all the reviews and messages you've sent me, reminding me of how much this story means to me.

:)

Once again, thank you all so much!

-moodyaura


	23. the visit and ride home

I apologize for my late updates.

I know I'm terrible for making you all wait so long.

And also, I've given up on the languages thing. Too troublesome. I'll find something else to put in the front, but for now it's just the dashes.

But here it is.

* * *

Silence pervaded the dining room, filling the little cracks and corners. For a moment I was worried that the rest of dinner would go on this way. As I mostly saw my father in the nighttime, dinner was always lively as we exchanged our daily events. Thankfully the awkward silence in the room cracked with Fuugaku-san, who, after swallowing the food in his mouth turned towards me slightly. "So, Sakura-san, is it?" he inquired. I replied in the affirmative and said apologized for intruding upon their household. Fuugaku-san smiled a little and shook his head. "It is no burden upon us. Are you Sasuke's classmate?"

I nodded, "Yes. We're working on an English project together, so we met to day to interview each other."

Mikoto-san's voice practically sparkled as she spoke. "Ah, so that's where you went," she said playfully, eyeing her youngest son, "I thought you were going out on a date and didn't want to tell us. He went out of the house in the strangest disguise!" Ah, Sasuke and his fashion sense. Or, well, disguise-sense, I guess. His fashion sense isn't bad; he always looked neat, but carelessly put together, like he hadn't meant to come out looking that good. It really wasn't fair of him to be born so pretty. Sasuke really did take from his mother and Itachi as well. Neither was so sharply defined like Fuugaku-san though Sasuke's features weren't as soft as Itachi's. Speaking of Itachi...I slowly peered over the table to find him staring at me. I _felt_ someone's eyes on me, I knew it!

It wasn't an intense or piercing stare—no, nothing so dramatic. Just, well, it felt like he was studying me. Or maybe he was thinking about something and I happened to be in his line of sight. Who knows?

"I thought I told you yesterday I was going out to meet a classmate," Sasuke said defensively.

"Yes, but you never mentioned it was a girl!"

He crinkled an eyebrow. "Does it make that much of a difference?"

Mikoto laughed, "Of course. The last time you brought a girl home was in the third grade, which was Ino." Whoa, Ino, third grade, what? I am so asking her about this later. They go that far back? Mikoto-san smiled at Sasuke and then me. "I'm just happy that our son found a female friend. You shouldn't be afraid of girls anymore Sasu-chan, you're much too old for that."

...Friend?

Was I a friend to Sasuke?

I looked over at him, as if the answer would be clear once I saw his face. Alas it was not so. Sasuke didn't deny anything about his mother's comment, but then again, he could be doing it because it's rude to yell out, "She's not my friend!" when I'm right there. But really, what was I to him? I'm pretty sure I'm the closest female to him at school since I've never seen him with any other girls. We talk about all sorts of things though they never get really personal unless it's for the project or his fan club. We had some good laughs and petty arguments. And, most importantly, I don't have any romantic feelings for him whatsoever. Honestly.

It sounds like I'm trying to deny something, but I don't have those kind of heart-thudding emotions for Sasuke. I mean, I think he's good looking, but hey, looks aren't everything. He can be an insensitive ass at times, he's arrogant, impatient, childish, and a whole bunch of other things (but he has his good traits too, obviously.) Honestly, I could never see myself being romantically involved with Sasuke—dating, fling, one night stand, whatever it is. I always pictured I'd go out with someone that's really friendly and optimistic, who can make me laugh and lift my spirits.

Whoa. I just described Naruto.

Weird.

Really weird, actually. But I don't like him like that. _But_ he's my type.

Hm. Weird how I only like him as a friend.

Anyways, he's Hinata's, so, pushing thought away from head as of...now. He's a tad bit too loud for me anyhoo.

I blinked to shake myself out of my thoughts. When I looked up I saw, yes, still, Itachi staring at me. Why? His gaze was unsettling me, but I smiled quickly at him before looking back down. "So, Father," Sasuke said, "how was your day?"

Fuugaku-san nodded. "It was the same as usual. The company has many improvements it could still make, and I'm still consulting with the Board for suggestions. Tomorrow I'll be at a meeting with them."

"Ah."

The table was overcome once more with silence. I really, really hope I wasn't the cause of this awkward-ish dinner.

I finished my meal quicker than the Uchiha males, and was fumbling with my napkin when Mikoto-san asked me of a favor. She wanted my help in cutting up the fruits for desert. A bit relieved to exit the room I graciously followed her into the kitchen. She handed me a clean knife and went into the fridge to take out some apples and peaches. "How was the dinner?" she asked, "Did it make you hungry at all?"

"Oh, yes. Your cooking is amazing, Mikoto-san," I said, smiling as I reached for an apple, skinning it slowly. In my household, my father usually dealt with fruit after I sliced my finger the first time I tried. From then onwards, my father was wary with me and knives. When I was alone, I would sometimes practice peeling fruit but with great caution. The sight of blood made me uneasy—especially mine.

Mikoto-san picked up a peach. The fruit was a pale color, speckled with splotches of pink. "The reason why I brought you here is because I can't have the men overhear us," she said, "I have a challenge for you, Sakura-chan." I paused, turning my head to look at her. Her piece of peach skin was perfectly curved and still in tact even though she was almost done with it. I glanced briefly at my now lopsided apple and the flakes of red that littered the counter underneath it. "Before you go home," Mikoto-san cut off the remaining skin and placed it into the trash, "I want you to tell me which one of my sons resemble my husband and which one resembles me more." She peered over at me, her eyes twinkling. "And it's not a trick question. They both don't resemble one parent. So, do you accept?"

"Ah—," I blinked, wondering if it would be rude of me to say yes. But I was curious. This would allow me to study the Uchiha family without Mikoto-san being suspicious of my scrutinizing stares (I hope she'll explain this to her husband later on, or else he'll think me an impolite brat.) Plus, it could be a great addition to my biography of Sasuke. "I accept."

A rather satisfied look crossed Mikoto-san's face. "Good," she said cheerfully, "And thank you for helping me." I finished peeling the apple, and then cut it into eight equal slices. I picked up another apple, trying to make my pieces last longer. "You know," Mikoto-san began, "Sasuke never really liked girls that much because of his fan girls." She smiled widely at this, eyes twinkling, "Our little Sasu-chan, having fan girls. That's always a thought that makes me laugh. Most boys would be delighted to have that many girls attracted to him. But he's always hated it so much." Mikoto-san was done with her second peach as I was a forth of the way down on scraping off the apple skin. "Ah, should I-?  
"Oh no, it's fine I could-" I cut off a piece of skin that took too much apple with it. Damn. This just does not get easier. "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at this," I said, handing the apple over to her.

She shook her head. "Practice makes perfect. I was even worse when I was your age," she said. The entire skin was off in five seconds. "What I wanted to say was I really am grateful that you are friends with Sasuke. I was getting worried he would never open up to any girls." Mikoto-san placed the fruits neatly on the plate, sticking five colored toothpicks in. "Could you take this to the table?" Nodding, I took it from her and exited the kitchen. There was much conversation going on as I went through the door, surprisingly. So I was the cause of the silence.

Fugaku-san was talking: "Itachi, you have changed greatly since you left Japan. Your mind has become highly Westernized." His voice was stern. Itachi, however, look absolutely nonchalant as his father went on, "What happened to the values Japan had taught you?"

"Unlike you, Father, I don't consider Westernization a bad thing. We'll have to learn and adapt to the environment that's changing around us or else we'll become bitter when it has changed entirely," Itachi said, "Already we see rebellion from the younger generation Japanese. Old traditions are becoming undone. There are faults and good points in both the traditional Japanese ways and the Western ways." The eldest son turned his eyes on me in the doorway. I walked towards the table and set the plate down quickly, then took my seat. "What about you, Sakura-chan? How do you feel about Westernization?" he asked.

The question caught me by surprise. I hadn't expected the conversation to include me. "Ah, well—" Intelligent response, Sakura, don't make a fool out of yourself. "Since I plan on going to a college overseas, I think it would be best to assimilate Western thought to, like you said, adapt to the environment around me," I said, "The traits that the Japanese tend to look down on, like pride and ambition, are awarded in the West. Staying too Japanese could ruin your chances of advancing in a career, but becoming too Western, I feel that you would lose a part of yourself. Because no matter how Western we might want to be, we are still Japanese. We have to embrace our culture as well, so it isn't stamped out by others." Itachi nodded while I spoke.

"You want to go to college overseas?" he questioned me.

I blushed a little. "I would like to, though I doubt I would ever get such a chance."

"You attend one of the most prestigious private high schools in Japan," Itachi pointed out with a small smile, "I'm sure you will get such a chance in a school with your intellect."

"Thank you," I said, my cheeks flushing a deeper shape of pink. He was actually pretty nice. Still doesn't explain why he was staring at me, but, many things in life must remain a mystery. Itachi seemed a lot less harsh than his father, but I shouldn't assume then he's more like Mikoto-san. I'll wait longer to see what evidence plays out.

Itachi turned to his father. "Ah, by the way father, I forgot to mention that we might have a visitor tonight."

"You haven't picked up any foreign girls while you were away, did you?" Fugaku-san asked gruffly.

The elder Uchiha beamed, one corner of his lips quirking upwards. "Why, father, how did you know?" Itachi said brightly, "My girlfriend is coming over in about ten minutes, I believe. She'll be staying here for a couple of days so that we can return to Europe together."

Fugaku-san's eye twitched. "I remember strictly forbidding you from getting romantically involved with foreigners."

"What does she look like?" Sasuke asked. His face was slightly scrunched up, as if he couldn't believe his older brother's words.

Itachi hummed thoughtfully. "She has long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. She's pretty tall, but I'm taller than her."

"Does your mother know about this?"

"Of course," Itachi replied breezily, "She's the one who invited her to stay."

Fugaku sighed deeply. "Mikoto, really..."

"I'm positive you'll love her, Father."

The kitchen door swung open and Mikoto-san entered, holding a tray of cut fruit with toothpicks embedded in them. She set it on the table and looked curiously at her eldest son. "Positive I'll love who, Itachi?"

The corner of Itachi's lip curled upwards. "My girlfriend who is coming in about ten minutes." He eased back into his chair. "Why don't you tell Father about her?"

Mikoto-san laughed heartily, "Oh, yes, your girlfriend! Well, she has blonde hair and blue eyes and is very, very pretty. A very talented artist I might add." A smile graced her face as she glanced at her husband. "I'm sure you will love her as well."

"What's her name?" Fugaku-san asked. He raised his hand and gently massaged his temple, closing his eyes. This ordeal of Itachi-san having a foreign girlfriend was stressing him out more than I expected. Was it really that bad dating someone who wasn't Japanese? At least they're all bound to be good looking. I always envied the sophisticated looks of foreigners, especially Europeans. A little girl like me with bubblegum hair and watermelon candy eyes didn't fit in with their regal, Caucasian features. And, well, I'm Japanese. So I wouldn't fit in the first place looks-wise.

"Why don't you wait a little bit, Father?" Itachi said, "She'll be here in a few minutes. I just got a text." Fugaku-san conceded, but his eyes remained on the door afterwards, as if this mysterious girl would burst in anytime. I wondered what she would be like. Itachi-san resembled Mikoto-san more (from what I had gathered at least) and seemed to have an easy, teasing character. What kind of girl is he attracted to? If Mikoto-san married Fugaku-san, the girl should have more of an edge than Itachi-san...

And at that moment the doorbell rang. Itachi-san rose from his seat and disappeared out the door. There was a burst of a voice, faintly heard, which I gathered to be his girlfriend. I guess this made sense—since Itachi-san was pretty quiet, his girlfriend should be louder than him. I firmly believed in the "opposites attract" rule since two people could complement the other's faults that way. They don't have to be complete opposites in everything, of course, they should share some similarities, but it was always kind of sweet to see a quiet girl with an outgoing guy or the other way around.

Kind of like Naruto and Sasuke. It would explain the whispered rumors in the girl's locker room of the deep, sexual tensions that existed between the two friends.

...Oh God, images.

Images.

Stop.

I'm going to unsee what I just saw. Ugh.

There was the light patter of footsteps and I turned to catch a glimpse of Itachi-san's girlfriend. She indeed did have blonde hair, which was tied to a high ponytail, and a strip fell in front to cover half of her face. A lone, bright blue eye was revealed as it gazed over the Uchiha family members before resting on me. She furrowed her brows at me for some reason. Well, she was certainly pretty, but her fashion sense was nothing I had expected. It was certainly rather masculine—a white dress shirt, form-fitting black slacks, and

-holy shit that is not a girl.

That's a guy.

Wait, what was his name again? It started with a "D"...

De-...Demara? Dei—

"Ah, little Sakura-chan," the blonde-haired man said to me, smirking, "I had no idea you knew the Uchihas. This is a pleasant surprise."

I blinked. "Deidara-san." Ah, what was his name! "You're not Itachi-san's girlfriend...are you?" Deidara raised an eyebrow at the smug looking Uchiha next to him.

"Girlfriend?" Deidara repeated dryly to Itachi-san, "The first time I come back to your house in three years, and you introduce me as your girlfriend?" Itachi-san merely shrugged though his expression didn't change. "You're sick you know that?"

"You're the one dating me," Itachi-san said, smirking deeply. The blonde snorted loudly and crossed his arms.

Fugaku's mild groan rippled through the air. "Itachi, you—you went to Europe and returned as a homosexual?" I could tell he really had a migraine now. He wasn't even bothering to massage his forehead, just rested his palms against it.

"I merely jest, Father. I'm as straight as Deidara looks like a girl." He got a shove from Deidara for that comment. "That aside," Itachi-san turned his head to me, "How are the two of you aquatinted with each other?"

Deidara's eyes met mine, grinning widely. There's no way he's telling the truth. Before he could say a word, I said quickly, "Sasuke and I happened to be at the café he was working at. I forgot my bag and Deidara-san returned it to me." The blonde pouted a little at me, obviously disappointed that I hadn't humiliated myself in front of Sasuke's family. _As if._ I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a pointed look. It was meant for Deidara-san to see only. After all, I had spent most of the dinner appearing to be a withdrawn, shy girl—not that I was and not on purpose. Well...it was complicated. I just wanted to make the right first impression and ended up being someone I'm not really. So when I threw Deidara-san a dirty look, Itachi-san raised his eyebrows, a little smirk curving his lips. I blushed brightly and looked down. My wristwatch read 8:04 PM. My eyes widened—how did it get that late so quickly? "Ah, excuse me, but it's getting a bit late," I said, eyeing the clock hanging in the dining room.

Mikoto-san's gaze followed mine. "Oh my, you're right!" she exclaimed, "How time flies." She glanced over at Itachi and asked, "Do you think you could drive Sakura-chan home? I promised her she would get a ride if she ate with us." The eldest son nodded.

"I'll go get my car ready," Itachi said, walking out the door.

"Now, Deidara-kun," Mikoto got up from her chair and smiled at the blonde, "It's so nice to see you again. What are you doing back in Japan? Oh, and come sit, sit!" She motioned him to the closest dining chair, which happened to be Itachi's (now empty, because, yeah.) Deidara seemed to sink into the seat and sighed in content, reaching over to grab a piece of fruit.

He glanced over at Fugaku-san. "Ah, may I?" he asked, motioning to the apple slice.

"Help yourself," Fugaku-san replied.

"Thank you." Deidara-san sighed. "I was working at the café for ten hours. I took on my friend's shift because she had a date. Anyhow," he tossed the slice into his mouth, chewed viciously, and swallowed, "Itachi told me he was visiting home during Golden Week and I just followed. Right now, I'm staying at Pein's apartment—do you remember him? Red hair and lots of piercings?"

Mikoto-san grinned, "How can I forget?"

Deidara-san chuckled and helped himself to another slice of apple. "Well, yeah, I'm currently residing there. I had to visit you guys once before we leave, though. Itachi said he would drive me back to Pein's place after bringing me here. Actually, I should be riding with dear Sakura-chan then, right?" He turned his head at me, blue eyes dancing back and forth.

"Is that so?" I smiled...nervously. I felt like he was going to tell Itachi what actually happened. So much for good first impressions.

"Then I'll go too," Sasuke said suddenly. He had been quiet during the whole Ita-Dei fiasco and during dinnertime until I left the room. (Very depressing. I'm not that awkward.) "I don't trust you and Itachi being alone with her."

Deidara-san smirked. "Why, afraid your girlfriend will be charmed by our good looks?"

"She's not my girlfriend." The blonde looked dubious.

"Yeah, I'm not!" I chimed in. "We met in the café for a long-term English project. We had to interview each other."

"All right," Deidara-san shrugged, "So I guess that means...she's free for the taking?" He winked in my direction. My cheeks flamed. Curse good looking older guys. How old was he anyway? Twenty? Oh, the age difference isn't that bad. I mean...it's actually legal for us to have a (sexual) relationship, since a person is considered a minor until they turn twenty one. Not that I was thinking about it. I'm just pointing that out.

I'm a virgin anyhow. And I intend on staying one until I...find the one, I guess.

Gosh, why is this topic popping up in my head? How embarrassing.

And wait-why is he talking as if I'm not sitting right there in front of him? Before Sasuke could answer him, if he was going to that is, I replied, "No, she's not." Then I gave Deidara a look. He smiled easily. There was the light sound of footsteps and Itachi-san stepped through the doorway, swinging some keys around his index finger.

"Car's ready," he said, "let's go." Deidara, Sasuke, and I all stood from our chairs. I thanked Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san for letting me stay. Mikoto-san smiled and told me to visit again. Itachi-san raised his eyebrows when his brother also stood. "You too, Sasuke? That's a surprise. All right, well, the car's out front. I'll be there in a minute." We walked out of the Uchiha household and through the lawns/gardens to a four-door, slightly curved, dark blue Toyota. It was rather plain and not as extravagant as I thought someone Itachi-san's age would own. But then again, I was relying on Asian drama clichés as my source on how wealthy people live. We got in, Deidara calling shotgun, and Sasuke and I sitting in opposite sides in the back. Itachi-san joined us a minute later. "Since Deidara lives closer," he said, starting the car up, "I'll drop him off first, then you, Sakura. Is that all right?"

"Yes, that's fine," I replied. The trip to Deidara's—Pein's, I mean—apartment took about ten minutes. Deidara and Itachi-san conversed amongst each other in the front while Sasuke and I sat in silence in the back. I was too tired to make a conversation. Sasuke, being of a quiet disposition, didn't try to disrupt our silence. I didn't really realize we weren't talking at all until Deidara exited the car and we were on the road again. The conversation between the two older males had served as background music, almost. And now with Itachi-san's conversing partner gone, the silence in the car felt like a dead weight.

It was getting awkward pretty fast.

"You should know, this car isn't mine." Ah, good old Itachi-san to the rescue! In the dashboard mirror his eyes met my reflections' (Is that what it's called?) before returning to the road. "This car is my father's," Itachi-san explained, "I would never drive something so family friendly."

I laughed a little. "Actually I did think this car was a bit old-fashioned for someone your age, but I didn't want to be rude. And," I went on, feeling a bit more relaxed in his company, "I don't think navy blue is your color."

"Is that so?" Itachi-san asked. It must be from hanging around Sasuke for so long, but I detected a smirk in his voice. "Then what kind of car do you think I would drive, Sakura?"

Hm, that was a tough question. I looked to my right for inspiration and found Sasuke with his head rolled back, eyes closed. Aw, he was asleep. I spoke a bit more softly, "Actually you don't really seem like the driving type. If you had a car, I'd say it would be...black."

"Black?"

I nodded. "Yes, black. Oh, and I live in -, by the way. If you take - Road down for a couple of blocks...if you had a GPS that would be great." It was dark and I had no idea where we were...very bad situation.

"Already on it," Itachi said from the front. I watched him punch in my address into a little device attached to the dashboard. Thankfully we were at a red light, so our chances of getting into a car accident just exponentially decreased. There was a little beep—presumably from the GPS. "It'll take about thirty minutes from where we are. You live a while away from here, don't you?

"Yes. The café Sasuke and I went to is only ten minutes from where I live, but I helped him home since his chauffeur was busy," I said. For lack of a better word.

Itachi made a thoughtful noise. "So the two of you arrived at the household by bus?"

"Yes."

"It was his first time on a bus, if you didn't know," Itachi said, chuckling, "How did he take it?"

Ah, that was no surprise. I had assumed it was his first time, and I had doubted I was wrong during our bus ride, but Itachi confirmed my thoughts. Sasuke had a chauffeur after all. And plus he had been so terribly clueless once the bus had stopped and opened its doors for us. "Surprisingly well," I said, smiling a little, "He was sort of absorbing everything in, I feel like. I don't know if he'd want to ride one again, but..."

Itachi's voice was dry, "Probably not." I laughed and nodded. After the incident with the coffee spill, I doubted Sasuke would trust public transportation ever again. Plus he didn't really seem like that type to travel with people, I guess. He already exuded a "loner" persona. Buses just don't suit him. "So," Itachi quipped, "you don't think I'm the driving type, hm?"

Was he offended? I hope not. I didn't mean to offend him, anyway. "Well, it's just that—you seem more of a walker. If not, a public transportation-type person," I explained.

"Hmm..." Okay, he didn't sound insulted. Just thoughtful. "The funny thing is," Itachi said slowly, "that you're pretty spot on."

I blinked. Oh, well that was not what I was expecting. "Really?" I asked, rather surprised.

"Yes. In Europe, I either walk or take the trains and buses. I don't own a car because it's inconvenient to me and because I dislike cars. I live in a campus—Deidara's my roommate, actually. I work the weekends and some workdays at a restaurant under the head chef. That's the only time I need to travel, and I'm fine commuting by public means," Itachi said, "Of course, Deidara always rubs his fancy, shiny sports car in my face and insists on driving me everywhere."

"I can see Deidara-san driving one of those," I laughed. Already the image came to my mind: a sullen Itachi in the passenger seat with Deidara driving recklessly, blonde ponytail flying wildly behind him. And a couple of screaming pedestrians here and there, but that was it.

Itachi made a turn to the right. The streetlights lit up the stores dimly and I vaguely recognized where we were. "Do you mind me asking a question?"

Err, it really depends on the question, Itachi. Hell like I was going to say that. I said, "No, go ahead." The only question I was really afraid of him asking me was whether or not I was involved in Sasuke's fanclub. I think I would have refrained from telling him the truth.

"What happened between you and Deidara? I could tell there was more to the story than you said, and Deidara told me to ask you for details. He said it wasn't his to say," Itachi said, "I'm merely curious, but if it makes you uncomfortable I'm fine with you not telling me." I blushed and looked down at my hands. All right, it wasn't that mortifying to tell. I probably would have told Ino and Hinata, but the problem rested more on who I was telling this to. Having Itachi hear that my story made me feel like a little girl. And I guess I am, sort of, compared to him, but that doesn't mean I want him to see me in my...lack of awareness of my surroundings...that does not sound right. Oh whatever. My mind isn't on grammar check. "Did he..." Itachi sounded rather concerned for some reason. He went on, his voice quiet, but on the edge of being murderous, "Did he harass you?"

"Wh-wh-what, no," I spluttered, "No, that did not happen at all. It's just—it's just really stupid. I accidentally went into the men's restroom and saw Deidara, who I thought was a woman. But, well, he isn't. Once I found out, I panicked and ran out without my bag. He found my table and returned it to me, end of story." I sat back, feeling my cheeks burn. It sounded a lot more embarrassing out loud than it did in my head.

Someone snorted loudly next to me.

...But there was only one person next to me so that mean it had to be-! I turned and grimaced when I saw Sasuke fully awake. He head was still leaned back, but his eyes were definitely, unfortunately open. He looked over at me and started laughing. "So that's why you took my cap? To hide from Deidara?" Sasuke, to my utter amazement, laughed even harder and grabbed his stomach. I swear I saw a tear roll down from his eye.

"It's not that funny," I said flatly. It stopped being amazing pretty quickly after I realized how much amusement he was getting at my expense.

"I know—but," he took a breath to stop himself from laughing, "—but then I remembered the thing you told me on the bus and—" And his plan failed. Because he ended up laughing. Harder.

Itachi had his eyebrows raised. My Uchiha senses were tingling. "What happened on the bus?" he asked.

Dear little Sasuke looked so very tempted to start that story, so I poked him in the gut to shut him up. "You promised you wouldn't say a word," I hissed as he flinched.

"I never made that promise, Sa-ku-ra," he shot back, grabbing my hand before I could stab him again, "and you're not making much of a convincing argument by trying to kill me."

I glared like I never thought I could glare before. This was a serious "if looks could kill" moment. Because if they could, Sasuke would have gone to Hell and back fifty times and then stayed there. (Hell, I mean. Not earth.) "That's because I'm trying to," I said, trying to take my hand back, but failing because the boy had a death grip on it.

Sasuke stared at me seriously and lifted my hand that he was holding. "Are you going to poke me again?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then why should I give this back to you?"

I scoffed, "Because, Sasuke-_kun_, you're touching me." Sasuke dropped my hand abruptly, scowling.

"Oh please, you were all over me before," he muttered. What? Excuse me? Since when was I ever actually all over him? I never sprung into his personal space and clung onto him like an obsessed fan girl. My jaw dropped at his words. Sasuke had the nerve to say that to me, right in front of his brother might I add, when he knows that none of my fangirling was real? Die. Die now. "And I never told you this, but what the hell were you thinking?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow at me and I knew it wasn't going to be good. "'You have really clean pants'?"-he air-quoted my words—"Really?"

Uchiha Sasuke is treading on very dangerous territory. Especially because my fingers are quick and nimble and I know now that he's ticklish. "You're really going to bring that up now?" I snapped, "because I thought that was long behind us. And I'm not the one who threw a temper tantrum by pouting the _entire _period of English when we were supposed to be working on our interviews." Yeah. That felt gooooooood.

"Really now? I thought that was long behind us," Sasuke smirked, crossing his arms, "someone's childish."

And now he's throwing around groundless accusations. "You're calling me childish?" I echoed.

He had the audacity to nod. "Yes."

IT'S A RHETORICAL QUESTION, DUMBASS!

"This is coming from the guy who threw a temper tantrum for the first week of our partnership because you didn't want to work with me, and you're calling me childish?" This guy was going to drive me insane. I just know it.

"I hate to break this lovely argument apart but," Sasuke and I both swerved our heads at Itachi, "we're here," he finished. That had to be the shortest thirty minutes of my life. "You live in the light blue one, right?" My father and I lived in a...I actually don't know what it's called. It's either a co-op or a condo, or neither. The house consisted of two levels and stretched out for many yards. There were stairs leading to the upper level, painted white, but it used to be a dark green. There were six doors on each level, and each family got an equal section of the house: two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, two closets, and a living room. Our house was a good size for two people and efficiently designed.

But it was tiny compared to the Uchiha's mansion. I didn't even realize how big his house was until I saw mine. Our house/apartment/chunk was nice, though. Homey. "Yeah, that's the one," I said, "Thank you very much for driving me, Itachi-san." I gave him a very pleasant smile through the rearview mirror before opening the car door and getting out.

Inside, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What, I don't get a goodbye?"

I smirked, "No." And then I shut the car door in his face. (Victory for Haruno Sakura, oh yeah!) I waggled my fingers at him through the tinted window and walked around the car.

"Oi," Itachi said, jerking his head lightly to my retreating figure, "go walk her home properly. Make sure she gets in safe." Sasuke grumbled from the back. "Now. Or else. You should treat your girlfriend better, Sasu-chan."

"She's not my girlfriend, jeez." Sasuke slammed the car door behind him with great satisfaction. Itachi merely smirked at his younger brother's antics. Ah, young love, he thought dryly.

I was about to step on the stairs when I heard a rush of footsteps approaching. It was Sasuke. "What-?"

"Itachi told me to walk you to the door," he grumbled, "to make sure you get in safe." Aww, that was sweet of Itachi. I smiled and began to climb up the stairs. It was wide enough for two people, so Sasuke walked up beside me, walking more or less the same pace. "I won't tell Itachi," Sasuke said quietly. We both reached the top of the stairs. I lived in the third door of the hallway, which was only a couple of yards from where we stood.

"Good," I nodded, smiling, "and I won't tell your fanclub that you're ticklish."

Sasuke spluttered, looking affronted. "I'm not _ticklish_."

"Want me to poke you again?" I offered, but he declined with a glare. We had reached my door. The white painted frame looked welcoming and familiar and yet for some reason I wanted to linger outside. "Well," I said, turning to face Sasuke, "I guess I'll see you May 5th."

He nodded, "Yeah. I guess so."

"Bye, then," I said.

"Bye."

He walked away, but looked back at me over his shoulder. I raised my hand and waved. Sasuke merely smirked and sauntered off. Watching his retreating figure, I became strangely thankful—thankful that I was accepted to Konoha High, that I met and made friends with so many great people, and that I was able to reach Sasuke. Despite the strange, awkward encounters we had with each other, we amazingly managed to become something like friends now. And if I had to go through them again I think I would. Mortifying and self-deprecating as some of those moments were, it brought us closer. I leaned against the doorframe and waited until he was down the stairs before unlocking the door. It was pitch black inside. I flicked on the light switch quickly, scattering the darkness back into its crevices. So, Dad is still working then. I sighed. I went over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. After taking a big gulp, I sat down in one of the chairs circling our small dining table.

Money.

If only we had money.

I sighed again, and the noise seemed to overpower the silence that stilled the entire apartment. If only. I went into the living room, turned on the TV, and waited for my dad to come home.

* * *

Thank you for reading! :)

I'll try to update more often, but really...no guarantees.

feedback is very very welcome!

lots of love,

moodyaura :D


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